Assembly plans to clear Obasa of fraud allegations –Source

The Lagos State House of Assembly has reportedly concluded plans to clear the embattled Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, of allegations of financial misconduct and corruption.

A source said another lawmaker would preside on Monday where a motion on the floor of the House for the clearance of the Speaker would be moved.

“After that, other members would vote in support of the motion to effectively end the various allegations of corruption levelled against the Speker,” the source added.

Obasa faced a panel of enquiry on Saturday to answer the corruption allegations against him recently published by an online medium.

Among other things, he was accused of opening 64 bank accounts alleged to be linked to his Bank Verification Number with which funds were being siphoned.

His wife was also alleged to be collecting N10m monthly from the House, while some members of the House were reported to have spent N80m as estacode for training in Dubai.

But Obasa denied the allegations, saying they were the handiwork of his enemies.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Tunde Buraimoh, said the panel set up by the Assembly was still looking into the issues.

He said, “The members will debate the report and will either accept their recommendation or ask them to go and do more work. If they are satisfied with their work, they will accept their recommendations and take them as the resolutions of the House. But I am not aware they have finished their work.”

Meanwhile, an anti-corruption advocacy group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, has faulted the composition of an ad hoc committee by the Lagos State House of Assembly to probe corruption allegations against Obasa.

HEDA contended that the House of Assembly’s ad hoc committee could not reach a just outcome, as it was allegedly composed of Obasa’s cronies.

According to HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, in a statement on Sunday, the allegations against Obasa should be handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Suraju said, “The panel set up by the Lagos State House of Assembly is made up cronies of the Speaker. There is no way justice will be delivered to the people of Lagos.

“Under the principle of fair process, the House is unfit to be a judge in its own case by constituting a committee to investigate allegations of crime against it.”

“The committee was impatient in its haste to arrive at a predetermined conclusion; hence, its allegation that its invitation was turned down by civil society organisations was already communicated through a press address to the media less than one hour after the expected ‘appearance” of the invitees’.

“The allegations against the Speaker are criminal in nature and completely outside the parliamentary power of the Assembly. We have directed these petitions to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for their actions. It would be honourable for the Assembly to allow these agencies discharge their statutory responsibilities of investigating this matter.”