Maroc - DCONNECTNEWS.COM.NG - A La Une - 26/Feb 14:13

LAGOS ASSEMBLY SPEAKERSHIP: OPPOSITION MOUNTS AGAINST SETONJI, KASUNMU, JAH, OTHERS

It is no longer a secret that the Leadership of Lagos state APC has arrived at a workable solution to the festering leadership crisis bedeviling  the Lagos to House of Assembly sequel to the removal of  former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa on 13th January 2025.Arising from a meeting of top echelons of the Party in Lagos last weekend, the leaders agreed on three key resolutions, among others:(1)--That former Speaker Obasa's removal is final and irreversible(2)-- That the current Speaker Mojisola Meranda should step down and revert to her previous position of Deputy Speaker(3)--That a new Speaker sould be elected from Lagos West Senatorial District in the interest of justice, fairness, and equity in the state.Based on these new permutations, the names of a number of state legislators from Lagos West have been flying around as the most likely replacement for  Hon. Mojisola Meranda, who is billed to step down in the couple of days, irrespective of the outcome of the ongoing Obasa's suit, challenging his removal.In the last couple of days, names like Hon. David Setonji from Badagry Constituency, Hon. Temitope Adewale from Ifako Ijaiye Constituency, Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu from Ikeja Constituency 2 and four others, all from Lagos West, have been doing the rounds in the media as likely successors to Meranda However, latest information at our disposal reveals that these popular lawmakers already have several factors currently working against their emergence as the next Speaker of the House.1)-- Hon. Setonji David (Badagry Constituency 2) . He is a third term legislator and one of the two ranking lawmakers from Lagos West. He is also currently the Chief Whip of the House, a status he attained as a result of participating actively in the January 13th removal of the former Speaker and installation of Meranda as  Speaker.On the surface, he appears to be in the front row as a mostly likely successor, but there are so many factors currently working against him among the Party leadership and house members as well. First, he is said to lack the necessary charisma and leadership acumen  required of the Speaker of Lagos state. According to the assessment of those in the know, he has a laid-back and very uninspiring personality. Also, his intellectual capacity and ability to take effective decisions are also rated  below par.Also noted about Setonji is his mediocre performance as the Deputy Whip of the House under Obasa.Beyond all of these, a major political factor against Hon. David Setonji is his role as a major player in the January 13th impeachment plot,  a move that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has openly described as a "COUP."In the eyes of party stakeholders and custodians of APC in Lagos and Abuja, this act obviously puts a question mark on his loyalty to the overall interest of the Party and the Assembly as an institution. It also undermines the authority of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the leader of the party, bringing the Party leadership to a conclusion that such an individual can not be trusted with the number three position in the state. Aside from all these, there is also the question of his nationality and place of birth.  It is alleged that, contrary to his claim and popular belief, Hon. Setonji is actually from Benin Republic and not Badagry. Key stakeholders opine that it would be politically disastrous to feature anyone who is not originally from Lagos state as a Speaker right now, taking into consideration the current clamour for political recognition among the original Awori indigenes of Lagos.  These and more are some of the factors currently said to be standing against the emergence of Setonji as the next speaker of the Lagos Assembly.2)--Hon. Temitope Adewale (Ifako Ijaiye Constituency 01), Also known as JAH is a second term legislator who currently occupies the seat of the Majority Leader of the House. A post he attained (like Setonji) as compensation  for his active participation in the January 13th  legislative coup that gave rise to the emergence of Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda as Speaker.Given his pedigree as a highly ambitious individual, his name has also been flying around as a possible replacement for Meranda. However, some of the odds currently against the son of JAH  are his perceived narcissistic, manipulative, and chameleonic tendencies. He is reputed for his uncanny ability to often conceal his actual intentions in order to gaslight others into taking wrong actions, expecting the outcome to be in his favor. For example, shortly after the January 13th, JAH was said to have deftly move to clinch the position of Majority Leader in order to position himself as the highest ranking Principal Officer from Lagos West, knowing fully from onset that Meranda's Speakership would soon crumble, being from Lagos Central as the Governor. Another factor currently making his candidacy looking like a  dead-on-arrival ambition among some lawmakers and party leadership is the fact that he was a key figure among those who plotted the January 13th  insurrection that plunged the state into a political turmoil. He it was who allegedly used Tinubu's name to gaslighted other lawmakers into believing it was the President who ordered Obasa's removal, a claim many lawmakers later found to be false. At the momen2 Security report on him and others are  said to be very unpallatable.These are some of the factors currently standing against the Ifako Ijaiye lawmaker right now, coupled with the fact that he is a known personal friend of the governor, meaning his loyalty to the Party leadership and the independence of the legislative arm cannot be guaranteed under a JAH's Speakership. Apart from these, it would be very difficult to enthrone a second term lawmaker over a house that parades competent third - and fourth term legislators. 3--Hon. Damola Richard Kasunmu (Ikeja Constituency 2), also known as ARK of Lagos, is currently the Deputy Majority Leader of the House. His name has also featured prominently among the list of top Speakership contenders in the last couple of days. A third term lawmaker and a vibrant legislator. He is the grandson of the late Market legend,  Alhaja Abibatu 3  nephew to  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.However, his family affinity with the President is considered ay major factor standing against him in the race. Even though he is said to be well qualified and competent for the job on his own merit as a result of his 10 years experience in the parliament, and also being a third term Lagos West lawmaker like Setonji, sources close to the Party leadership revealed that featuring him as the new Speaker might strengthen the false narrative of nepotism against the President. Apart from these, some of the lawmakers are said to be against his emergence as a result of his closeness to former Speaker Obasa, a scenario believed to the reason behind the circulation of various negative reports about him in the media in the last couple of days. There are other Lagos West  lawmakers in the race from Alimosho,  Amuwo Odofin, Mushin and others, but the next few days will determine where the pendulum swings