THE Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda has denied rumours suggesting that she has resigned. This is even as Assembly members debunk a report suggesting that 27 of its members intend to switch allegiance from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Labour Party (LP), labelling these allegations as both malicious and baseless.
Meranda’s Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ajiboye, debunked the rumour on Wednesday.
“I’m in the office. The Speaker is in the office. I don’t know where that is coming from,” Ajiboye said.
An online report suggested on Wednesday that the Speaker had resigned.
A circular dated 17 February 17, 2025, allegedly released by Meranda had also been trending for two days, with the content claiming she had resigned.
However, checks on the letter circulating on social media showed it wasn’t signed by anyone.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, Ogundipe Stephen, issued a statement rejecting the report describing it as “completely false, misleading, and a calculated effort to mislead the public.”
Stephen expressed that the Assembly finds the report not only offensive but also filled with inaccuracies and blatant falsehoods, serving no purpose other than to create division and confusion within the Assembly and among the citizens of Lagos State.
In light of recent events within the House, including the removal of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and the subsequent election of Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, as the new Speaker, the Assembly reiterated that these developments were internal affairs conducted under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“These events in no way suggest any intention by members to leave the party. We emphasize, without any ambiguity, that no member of the Assembly is contemplating defection,” the statement added.
The Assembly reaffirmed its unity and commitment to delivering on its mandate under the ruling party’s leadership, describing the defection rumours as “falsehoods spread by agents of destabilisation seeking to create unnecessary tension and division.”
“To our party leaders and supporters across the state, we assure you that all members remain committed to the party. Any internal disagreements within the House will be resolved amicably through peaceful and democratic means. There is no crisis warranting defection,” the statement stressed.
The Assembly also called on the media to uphold journalistic ethics by verifying facts before publication and urged the public to disregard the unfounded reports.
The Lagos Assembly had been rocked with a leadership crisis since the former Speaker Mudashiru was removed by a majority of the lawmakers at the House.
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