Armed Security Personnel Take Over Lagos Assembly Complex Amid Leadership Crisis
Lagos, Nigeria: A heavy security presence has taken over the Lagos State House of Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja, as lawmakers prepare to hold an emergency plenary session on Monday, March 3, 2025. The tense atmosphere follows ongoing political developments that could lead to a shift in the Assembly’s leadership.
By 7 a.m., armed security personnel, who had been stationed in and around the complex for nearly two weeks, received reinforcements. The heightened security comes as Mojisola Meranda, the newly elected Speaker, is expected to step down to allow for a leadership change aligned with the zoning arrangement favoring candidates from the west zone.
Men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and armed officers from the Lagos State Police Command have taken up strategic positions around the premises. All visitors, including staff, are subjected to thorough security checks before being granted entry.
Describing the situation, a staff member who spoke to newsmen under anonymity said, “The atmosphere in the Assembly this morning is very tensed with heavy security around the Assembly. It was difficult for the staff to gain access to the Assembly. It took me over an hour before I was allowed into the premises.”
The crisis at the Assembly follows weeks of intense political maneuvering and interventions. Over the weekend, President Bola Tinubu and senior leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) brokered a resolution to the standoff.
Sources confirm that the agreement led to the removal of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker, though he was given a soft landing by having his removal converted into a resignation.
Insiders from the Presidential Villa disclosed that high-ranking APC figures, including former National Chairman Bisi Akande, former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba, Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake, and an undisclosed former Lagos commissioner, held discussions with Tinubu to resolve the matter. GMTNewsng
