Babatunde Bank-Anthony, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to speak out about the ongoing leadership dispute in the state’s House of Assembly.
In an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Tuesday, Bank-Anthony emphasized the importance of the governor addressing the issue.
“I expect the governor as well to say something to this. He is the number one man in Lagos State. He cannot ignore what happened yesterday because that is the parliament that he reports to, that is the parliament that makes the law for the state he is governing,” Bank-Anthony said.
“The governor should speak up about this issue to the right quarters,” he argued.
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His remarks came shortly after the situation in the Lagos State House of Assembly intensified.
On Monday, security personnel, including police officers and operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS), stormed the Assembly complex, blocking lawmakers from entering the chambers.
After several hours of confrontation, they eventually gained access, and Speaker Mojisola Meranda presided over the plenary session in the Alausa area of Lagos.
While some have urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the leadership dispute that is dividing the Assembly, the APC chieftain advised caution.
Bank-Anthony explained that, given the political structures in place, President Tinubu should be careful in commenting on the crisis to avoid appearing to take sides.
“26 years of democracy in Lagos, Nigeria right? Do you want to keep sucking your mothers breast at this age? Let us leave this man alone, he has a bigger headache,” the APC chieftain said, double-down on the need for Tinubu to focus more on addressing pressing national issues.
The turmoil in the Lagos Assembly started when lawmakers ousted Mudashiru Obasa as speaker due to fraud allegations. They then elected Meranda to replace Obasa, who had represented the Agege I Constituency for a long time.
Obasa has rejected his removal and is challenging the decision in court, a move that Bank-Anthony criticized.
“If Obasa cannot come to the House as a member, let him resign after 20 years in the Assembly. Let him give somebody else a chance,” he said on the show.
Obasa, representing Agege Constituency I, was first elected to the House in 2007 and became speaker in June 2015. However, he was removed in January 2025.
On January 13, 2025, more than two-thirds of the 40-member Lagos State House of Assembly voted to oust him and elected Meranda as the first female speaker.
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