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Isolo Council Crisis: Thugs invade legislative chamber, scramble for maze
By Rasaq Adebayo
The latest happenings in the premises of Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) has thwarted the possibility of resolving the lingering legislative crisis in the council as it has obviously escalated to a power tussle among the councillors and political groups in the council area.
Monday’s plenary was disrupted as thugs invaded the legislative House, aiming for the maze.
The council leader had earlier hinted that it was likely for the suspended councillors to be recalled on Monday, when he explained that the committee that was set up to look into the process had sent an invite to the suspended lawmakers to appear before it on Monday after plenary.
The situation got messy during Monday’s plenary as the suspended councillors were alleged to have led over a hundred thugs into the council and forced their way into the chamber in an attempt to cart away the maze, destroying many furniture and equipment during the process.
Explaining the incident to our correspondent, the council leader said: “We decided to call the two suspended councillors and we felt the activity shouldn’t interfere with the business of the day in the plenary so, it should be done after the plenary. The information was sent to them before Monday and they acknowledged it. The information that was sent out was that five councillors should attend the plenary thereafter we will move to the House committee of a whole where the suspended two councillors would come in for the process of reabsorbing them base on the party’s directive.
“We felt as councillors they should be treated honourably and not have to stand before the maze to explain the reasons for their action. we felt that should be done before the house committee among us, they should be treated as families which they are. But unfortunately, just when the plenary was about to end, the councillor representing Ajao Estate, Hon. Chidiebere Iheasirim moved the motion for two weeks recess and seconded by the majority leader due to the political tension in the community, noting that by the time we will resume with the other two, all nerves would have been calmed and seven of us will continue with our legislative businesses. Of course, they would have been reabsorbed before the recess and we will all resume together upper week.
“Unfortunately, it appeared that the recess didn’t go down well with two councillors, Hon. Abisodun Odusina-Adeoye and Hon. Kanayo Osondu. They opposed to the recess for reason unknown to the House. But in a blink of an eye, the about-to-be-reabsorbed councillors, Hon. Akeem Ayoola and Hon. Olanrewaju Kayode busted in with so many thugs and destructively kicked the table of the leader and the former reached out for the maze but others stood to protect the maze. They scattered the chamber. Thereafter, the DPO of Aswani Police Station, SP Adeleke Ojajuni, came to the council base on what was perceived to be the order of the Commissioner of Police.”
About whereabouts of the maze and what could have led to the invasion of the suspended councillors, Remy explained that: “The maze is kept in a safe place because it is a paraphernalia of law; it symbolizes authority.
“They were cool with the invite and the manner at which the committee had planned to carry it out but what I guess led to the attack was the issue of the recess. I guess they don’t want the recess but as suspended councillors, they were not supposed to come into the chamber until they were told to do so. Though we invited them, they’ve not been told to come in. They forced their ways in. The suspension still stood when they invaded the chamber and aimed for the maze.T$hat’s to tell that they wanted to use the maze for impeachment.”
This narrative, however, corroborated with the account of the Majority Leader, Hon. Idris Agbabiaka who affirmed that the suspended councillors had something up their sleeves to have invaded the chamber to take the maze.
He described the invasion as a well-orchestrated one with the magnitude of the thugs that accompanied them.
He confirmed that the House has commenced two weeks recess as the motion had been ruled on by the leader while the two councillors remain suspended.
Shedding more light to why the four councillors absented themselves from the plenary on Thursday, February 25, which consequentially led to their suspension and the fine slashed on two others, Agbabiaka narrated that they had deliberately absented themselves in order to stall the budget presentation hence, the need for them to be sanctioned.
According to him, “On that Thursday when four out of seven absented themselves without any prior permission, I called virtually all of them but they did not pick calls in order to know why they’re absent at the same time. Later on, in the evening, one of them picked and that was Hon. Olanrewaju Kayode and confidently said that ”…you’ve not seen anything, you can’t do the budget presentation. How the three of you will do the presentation we want to know. We will not come for the budget presentation.” This showed that the House needed not to take their actions and words with levity. We didn’t know what else they could be up to.
The four represent the majority, their absence might have been on how to also impeach the leader or something more serious than what they’ve said. Their action was deliberate and that was why I moved the motion for them to be disciplined hence the two principal officer were suspended while the two others were fined.”
He, however, confirmed that following Monday’s incident, their suspension still stand even as the house has gone on recess.
When contacted for their own reactions to the incident, the two suspended councillors refused to talk about the incident, saying they had nothing to say about it.
Speaking with the Corps Superintendent of Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps (LNSC) Isolo Division, Funmilola Adekile, she explained that the security operative was quick to douse the tension and restore peace in the council when the crisis was further degenerating.
She explained that she had no idea what could have caused the unprecedented crisis but her men were quick in action to restore peace in the council area.
Also speaking, the Party Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Isolo LCDA, Barrister Gani Bello, as at the time of filing this report, explained that the party has not been officially briefed about the degenerated legislative crisis.
