Alleged Corruption: Lagos Lawmakers Pass Vote of Confidence on Obasa

Members of the Lagos state House of Assembly at plenary yesterday passed a vote of confidence on Speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.

This followed the presentation of the report of a nine-man fact-finding ad hoc committee of the assembly on allegations of corruption levelled against the speaker by an online medium.

The committee headed by Hon. Victor Akande (Ojo constituency 1), was mandated to investigate the allegations of corruption levelled against the Speaker which includes operating 64 bank accounts with different banks with different names.

It was also alleged that the Speaker unilaterally approved expenditure for programmes and activities in the House, and spent N258 million to print invitation cards for the inauguration of the ninth assembly.

The online medium was also said to have alleged that the speaker received N80 million as estacode and that his wife was collecting N10 million from the assembly on monthly basis.

There were also reports that the assembly purchased 11 Hiace buses as well as 80 cars for the lawmakers within a year without following due process.

The committee, in its report stated that all the allegations were frivolous and that the speaker followed due process in all its purchases.

According to the committee, the allegations against Obasa were frivolous and unfounded.

The committee recommended that the Clerk of the assembly should begin the process of investigating the leakage of some documents of the assembly to the press and bring the erring staffers to book.

It was also recommended that the activities of the assembly should be digitalised for proper record keeping and monitoring.

It was then suggested that vote of confidence should be passed in the speaker.

Hon. Setonji David (Badagry 2) later moved a motion for the adoption of the recommendation of the committee and this was supported by Hon. Temitope Adewale (Ifako Ijaiye 2).

The whole members adopted the recommendations based on a voice vote conducted by the Majority Leader of the assembly, Hon. Sanni Agunbiade, who acted as the Speaker during the sitting.