Hours after the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) meeting ended on Monday, what transpired at the meeting is gradually filtering out although the GAC has refused to officially make public a statement on its meeting.

It was learnt that the meeting was tensed and ended in a deadlock again. When The Guardian called on the Secretary of the GAC, Mutiu Are, he declined comment, saying that the advisory council does not make public statements on the outcome of its meetings.

But a source at the meeting said that majority of the members of the Council want Obasa removed and Mojisola Meranda to continue as the new Speaker, and the game had been perfected even before the meeting on Monday.

The source said the way the meeting went, it clearly showed a shift in political control as majority of the members are dancing to the dictates of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the new sheriff in town, especially as President Bola Tinubu now has the burden of managing the entire nation?s affairs.

It was gathered that Senator Anthony Adefuye and Chief M.A. Taiwo, during the meeting, took turn to criticise the removal of Obasa as Speaker, describing it as a coup, which they claimed was the word Tinubu used to describe the incident when he was told.

The source also said that though the purpose of the meeting was to firm up a single position but the Chairman of the GAC and leader of Justice Forum, who presided over the meeting, Tajudeen Olusi, said Tinubu asked that status quo of Meranda continuing as Speaker be maintained pending the formal meeting with the President.

He, however, asked that ranking lawmakers in the state?s House of Assembly should submit three names among them that will be presented to Tinubu during their meeting.

The source claimed that it was a staged process as there was prior meeting among the Justice Forum members of the GAC where the names of Temitope Adedeji of Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency 1, David Setonji of Badagry Constituency II and Wale Rauf of Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II were finalised upon and shortlisted for presentation to the President. The source said that the three lawmakers had been told to reject the offer and asked that Meranda should continue.

Meanwhile, a group of female lawyers, under the auspices of Female Lawyers in Politics, yesterday, paid a solidarity visit to Meranda at the Assembly Complex. President of the group, Abimbola Badia Jack-Oladigba, described the emergence of Meranda as a milestone achievement in the state?s history.

Also, Secretary of the group, Omowunmi Ogungbaigbe, in her remarks, stated that as the first female Speaker of the Assembly, Meranda should ensure that her achievements surpass those of her predecessors. (The Guardian)

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