The Lagos State House of Assembly has clarified allegations surrounding the refusal to confirm 17 commissioner nominees recommended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Recall that on August 23, the State House of Assembly declined to confirm 17 out of 39 commissioner nominees of which six former commissioners who served in the first term of Sanwo-Olu were among the nominees not cleared.
The former commissioners are Gbenga Omotoso (Information and Strategy); Akin Abayomi (Health); Cecilia Dada (Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation); Olalere Odusote (Energy Resources); Folashade Adefisayo (Education) and Sam Egube (Economic Planning and Budget).
Following this, the Christian Rights of Nigeria (CRN) accused the legislature of rejecting the nominees on religious grounds, adding that the house’s resolution was a move to “stoke religious tensions” in the State.
The group furthered that the decision of the Lagos assembly was motivated by the “pure blackmail” comment of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
However, speaking during plenary, Speaker of the Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, said there is no fight between the house and the Governor.
According to him, the house is not going to be “threatened by the civil organisations who wish to protest.
“There is no basis for the house or myself to fight the governor. The governor is a friend and colleague in serving Lagos State.
“Whenever the house says no to a governor’s request, it is interpreted as the house fighting the governor.”
Obasa added that, “We will continue to work together and there is no reason to fight. But we have constitutional rights to say yes or no to his nominees.
“If anybody wishes to know the reason for the decision, they should approach the house. We will not be forced to spill our observations, and we reserve the right to expose the report of the screening.”
