By Alade Adisa
Anxiety has gripped the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, and her supporters as her security aides and escorts have been withdrawn.
Additionally, the security personnel posted at the Assembly Complex in Ikeja, Lagos, have also been withdrawn, leaving the premises vulnerable to attacks.
New Daily Prime gathered on Thursday that the order to withdraw the security personnel came from higher authorities.
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Though no one could confirm who issued the directive, the policemen would not have abandoned the Speaker or stayed away from the Assembly Complex without authorization.
A source close to Meranda described the situation as unexpected, as she has neither resigned from her position nor been removed by the lawmakers.
“This is just a case of flexing muscles and a show of power. The House is on recess, and the Speaker has neither resigned nor been removed by her colleagues. As of today, she is still the Speaker, so withdrawing her security details is unfortunate and illegal,” the source said.
Recall that the Assembly has been embroiled in controversy since early last month when Mudashiru Obasa was removed as Speaker, and his deputy, Meranda, was elected in his place.
Efforts are ongoing to resolve the issue, and Meranda may have to resign and revert to her former position, while a lawmaker from the Lagos West Senatorial District is expected to take over as Speaker.
Even workers in the Assembly remain at loggerheads with the Department of State Services (DSS) over the detention of three of their colleagues by secret service agents.
The three workers were arrested last week when DSS operatives stormed the Assembly during a plenary session.
