1 day Ago By Rapheal
From Ismail Omipidan For Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the meeting, last Monday between him and the members of House of Assembly, led by the new Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, no doubt signalled a new dawn in the relationship between executive and legislature in the state. Until last Monday, it is unlikely if any of the political commentators in and around Lagos would ever remember when last the two arms enjoyed such a convivial atmosphere. Lagos State Governor, Mr.
Sanwo-Olu, received the new Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Meranda, and other principal officers of the assembly, on a courtesy visit, at his office, in Alausa, Ikeja. Interestingly, the speaker was received by the governor and his Deputy, Dr.
Obafemi Hamzat, shortly before the commencement of the weekly State Executive Council meeting, with the governor leading the Speaker and her delegation to the Council Chamber, where she was received with a standing ovation. The new Speaker promised to ensure harmonious working relationship between the arms of Government in Lagos State. Daily Sun gathered that the Principal Officers that accompanied the Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker were Deputy Speaker: Hon Mojeed Fatai (Ibeju-Lekki State Constituency 1), Majority Leader: Hon.
Temitope Adedeji (Ifako Ijaiye 1), Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Richard Kasunmu (Ikeja 2) , Chief Whip, Hon. David Setonji (Badagry 2) and Deputy Chief Whip, Hon.
Sanni Babatunde (Kosofe 1). The 32-members of the State House of Assembly had on Monday, January 13, impeached the embattled State Assembly Speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
Meranda, who was then the deputy speaker, was subsequently elected to replace Obasa while the Chief Whip, Hon. Mojeed Fatai was elected as the Deputy Speaker. The motion to remove Obasa was moved Under Matters of Urgent Public Importance by Hon.
Femi Saheed, who stated that in line with the provision of section 92(2) (C) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Obasa was guilty of gross misconduct and poor leadership which included perpetual lateness to legislative sessions and meetings; highhandedness and lack of regard for members. The lawmakers also revealed that the former Speaker was accused of gross abuse of office and privileges; intimidation and oppression of members by inciting members against one another amongst others. He noted that Obasa also practised an “authoritarian and undemocratic” leadership style in discharging his duties.
He, therefore, moved the motion for his impeachment. Following the adoption of the motion, the impeachment was made by all the 32 members through a voice vote. Expectedly, at the end of the meeting, Sanwo-Olu, beaming with smiles from all sides of his face, noted that the meeting between him, his team and the Principal Officers of the House, held at Lagos House, Ikeja, was a reaffirmation that Lagos remains an excellence model in good governance.
The governor further said that during the courtesy visit, the Speaker, her Principal Officers, and members of the Executive Council reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a harmonious working relationship. According to him, the alignment between the Executive and Legislative arms ensures that Lagos remains a model of excellence in governance: “We will build on the successes of the past and work tirelessly to deliver transformational progress across all sectors. Together, we will continue to implement policies and projects that deliver on our Greater Lagos vision.
” Sanwo-Olu’s position, Daily Sun recalls, resonates with the position earlier canvassed by a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Senator Olorunminbe Mamora. In 2012, in his keynote speech, to the Ekiti State lawmakers and members of the executive, Mamora, who also served two terms in the National Assembly, said that both the executive and legislative arms of government are not totally independent of each other and as such, are, therefore, expected to exercise “a degree of functional overlap.” The “functional overlap”, he noted, would aid their collaboration on how to enhance good governance.
He emphasised the fact that lawmakers are not primarily elected to make laws but basically to represent the people who elected them, adding that the Legislature must work as partners, not as competitors, with the executives in achieving the common goal of delivering the good to the people. Mamora posited that when there is communication gap between the two arms of government, they may be at loggerheads, hindering the actualisation of the set goals: “You have separation of powers- the executive powers that belong to the executives, legislative power given to the legislature and the judiciary have judicial powers. All these are within the constitution but over the years, it has been established that there is need for some degree of functional overlap so you now talk of cooperation and interdependence as opposed to absolute independence.
“If the legislature, for example, is to be absolutely independent, then you should just take your business of lawmaking from the first reading, second reading to the passage and then say it is a law. But it does not become a law, you still have to send it to the executive for assent before it becomes a law.” As the new Speaker settles into her new role, Lagosians are expected to see a radical departure from what was obtained under axed Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, with regards to executive/legislative relationship.
One thing is however clear, Governor Sanwo-Olu, has over the years endeared himself to the hearts of majority of Lagosians who have come to see him as a performer. In the build up to 2019 governorship election when the news first filtered in that Sanwo-Olu would be the next Lagos State Governor, not many people gave him a chance. But as day passed by, and with the political alignments and realignments within the party, with core President Bola Tinubu’s loyalists openly taking sides, it became apparent that he was the man to beat.
And since becoming governor six years down the line, he appears to have left no one in doubt about his capacity to deliver good governance and manage the political juggernauts in Lagos, especially members of Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC). Sound, intelligent, brilliant and smart, Sanwo-Olu, some pundits say, probably towers above one or two that may have governed the state before him. And from all indications so far, the governor has not given Lagosians any reason to doubt his competence and capacity.
He, therefore, needs to remain focused and avoid being carried away by recent happenings within the polity in Lagos State. If he remains focused till the end, Lagosians will rise in his defence whenever the need arises..
