Former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and ex-Minister, Olorunnibe Mamora, has defended the removal of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos Assembly, describing the process as constitutional.
This comes as Obasa continues to insist that his removal on January 13, 2025, did not follow due process, alleging that the constitutional requirements for his impeachment were not met.
Mamora, who served as Speaker of the Lagos Assembly from 1999 to 2003, spoke on the matter in Lagos on Saturday. He described the decision by 35 out of the 40 members of the Assembly to remove Obasa as being in line with legislative procedure.
Obasa was removed after lawmakers accused him of misconduct and mismanagement of funds, replacing him with his former deputy, Mojisola Lasbat-Meranda. However, the embattled former Speaker has strongly denied the allegations.
Speaking at his official residence in GRA, Ikeja, on Saturday, Obasa addressed supporters from the Mandate Movement and politicians across Lagos.
He maintained that the allegations against him were baseless and described his removal as politically motivated.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Mamora explained, “He who must come to equity must come with clean hands. That’s my position. I like legislature a lot.
“Let me correct the impression. I have heard people say this in media discourse. If you look at the constitution you would not find impeachment. What you find is removal. There is difference between removal and impeachment.
“Impeachment connotes bringing allegations of wrong doing formally, in presenting before an offending public officer that is impeachment.
“That is when a formal presentation of allegations of wrong doing is presented to a public officer that is impeachment.
“But allegation do not necessary amount to guilt. It only says that these are the allegations that have been brought formally, which the officer has to respond to, that is impeachment.
“If you are now convicted on the basis of allegations and a kind of sentence is passed. They may be spurious, that is they can not be really established. So, they remain allegations.
“But when allegations are established leading to kind of sentence, then it may lead to removal. Allegations brought against you through impeachment may not necessary lead to removal.
