‘Held In Custody!’ Two Lagos Assembly Members Grilled By Police Over Speakership Crisis

OwelekeTV — Two Lagos House of Assembly members, Lanre Afinni and Sylvester Ogunkelu, are facing police interrogation in connection with the crisis rocking the State House of Assembly, according to reports reaching OwelekeTV news on Thursday.

The House has been in the news since January 13 when Mudashiru Obasa was removed as Speaker and replaced with his deputy, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, while he was away in United States.

Recall that OwelekeTV reported that Obasa faulted the process that led to his removal as speaker, arguing that the lawmakers did not adhere to “constitutional processes”.

However, the assembly responded and affirmed its decision to remove him, adding that any “attempt to heat up the polity will be resisted by the majority members of the House”.

Sources privy to the latest matter, Ogunkelu, who represents Epe 2 and his counterpart, Afinni who represents Lagos Island Constituency 2, are under investigation over allegations that they destroyed government properties in the Assembly chambers during Obasa’s removal.

Based on the allegation of vandalising public property levelled against them, the two lawmakers reportedly honoured invitations by the police.

Sources said both were subjected to interrogation on Wednesday by investigative officers.

According to one of the sources,

“On the day of Obasa’s removal, the then Clerk of the House, Barrister Lekan Onafeko was not in the House and his office was locked,”

“Hon. Ogunkelu, aka Sketel and Hon. Afinni physically led the charge to fetch the mace for the House sitting and had to destroy the door and some government properties to get hold of the symbol of authority.

“It is on these grounds that the police invited them. As we speak, Sketel is in detention while Afinni was released due to his health challenges,”

another source said.