A group under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Progressives Alliance, has accused the Lagos State House of Assembly of stage-managing the alleged Monday invasion of the assembly by officers of the Department of State Security Services.
The group, in a statement on Tuesday, said Monday’s event was stage-managed by the House leadership in order to give former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and President Bola Tinubu, who is rumored to have the former speaker’s back on the matter, terrible names.
The group’s Secretary, Segun Banjo, stated, “The House Committee Chairman on Information, Stephen Ogundipe, didn’t contradict the DSS. The only thing he said to the contrary was that the operatives went beyond their brief.
“We have it on good authority that Monday’s event was prearranged by the Meranda-led leadership of the House to tar President Bola Tinubu and Hon. Mudashiru Obasa with the brush of an anti-democrat because it is the same House that invited the Department of State Security Services that also mobilized the civil servants to attack the operatives.
“So, where is the role of Tinubu and Obasa in the matter that the so-called invasion was attributed to them and they are being dragged into the court of public opinion? The same Obasa has been keeping to common sense, including taking the case before the court.”
The House spokesperson, Ogundipe, has not replied to calls from our correspondent as of the time of reporting this report.
Chronicle NG reports that there was chaos at the House following the militarization of the assembly complex by DSS officials on Monday.
The crisis worsened after reports surfaced that expelled Obasa planned to return to the House on Tuesday.
Obasa, who was dismissed from office by the majority of House MPs on January 13, 2025, filed a court petition this week seeking restitution.
The Lagos legislature and the DSS had disputed the invasion, with the security agency claiming it had been asked by the House to boost up security.
“Contrary to reports by a section of the media that Department of State Services officers stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly, sealing offices of the Speaker and his deputy, it was the Assembly that invited security agents to maintain order.
“The clerk of the assembly wrote to us that there was a potential security threat to the assembly and its members and requested to increase the number of operatives there and ensure strict access within and outside the assembly,” a top DSS official stated.
In its defense, the House, in a statement issued late Monday by its spokesperson, Ogundipe, stated why it invited the DSS.
It maintained that even though it invited the security agency, it did not ask them to seal the offices of the principal officers of the House.
We want to emphasize that this is not the first time the House has requested security assistance from the DSS.
“However, it is important to emphasise that in all previous instances, the DSS operatives have been stationed at the main gate of the Assembly complex, ensuring that unauthorised persons do not gain entry.
“For the avoidance of doubt, at no point did the letter requesting security assistance instruct the DSS to invade the legislative chamber, lock and restrict access to the Speaker’s office, lock the office of the Acting Clerk, and lock the Deputy Speaker’s office.
“The events of today (Monday) raise serious concerns about undue interference in legislative affairs. The sanctity of the Lagos State House of Assembly was undermined by armed DSS operatives who actively obstructed lawmakers from performing their constitutional duties,” Ogundipe said.
