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The decision by the Lagos State House of Assembly to jettison minority leadership in the Assembly has been condemned. The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday had resolved that the offices of Minority Leader and Minority Whip in the state Assembly were no longer necessary.
But condemning the decision in a statement on Wednesday, the founder of Ibile Peaceful Assembly, Hon. Saheed Mosadoluwa, who is popularly known as Mr. Ibile, described the exclusion of minority leadership in the State Assembly as tyranny in democracy, saying the decision was undemocratic .
“I consider the assertion of the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy, Publicity and Security, Mr. Tunde Braimoh, of Lagos State Assembly as a troubling conundrum.
”We are not saying majority rule is not necessary for expressing the popular will and the basis for establishing their deceptive and progressive’s campaign but minority is bound to disagree on any anti people’s ideal of the majority,” Mosadoluwa said in the statement.
He said the Lagos State House Assembly should understand and note that consensus alone cannot be the basis for making political or legislative decisions because, according to him, minority rule is antithetical to democracy.
Mosadoluwa stated further: ”Is this a Lagos State House of Assembly or a fascist organisation. I have not heard of any state Assembly without Minority Leaders (as doing so) will surely pave way for executive recklessness and rascality. APC members should not abuse its powers to oppress the minority voters that sent some of these … to that chamber to represent their communities.”
Mosadoluwa said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in their constituents were not consulted before the six state Assembly members proceeded to defect to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). He accused the defectors of being fascinated with what those in the APC camp are benefiting thus compelling them to defect from PDP to APC.
“I would advise that someone should stand as a minority leader to represent the will of the minorities . We should stop being economical with truth. The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday said the offices of Minority Leader and Minority Whip in the House are no longer necessary. The Speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, his loyalists and APC leaders should understand the dangers of tyranny in legislature which should also be condemned by Lagosians,” he said.
Mosadoluwa therefore called on Logicians to compel Hon. Braimoh to resign as the chairman the state Assembly Committee on information and strategy, saying Braimoh’s appointment as the chairman of the committee that recommended the scrapping of the two offices is not constitutionally guaranteed but a creation of the Assembly .
He affirmed that minority’s rights must be protected no matter how alienated the minorities are from the majority members of the Lagos Assembly, saying doing otherwise would make majority’s rights to lose its meaning.
Mosadoluwa maintained that his organisation, Ibile Peaceful Assembly, would continue to protest the arbitrary decision of the majority in the State House of Assembly and prevent Lagos State Government from becoming a vehicle of “tyranny of the APC government,” adding, “we will resist imposed regimentation of thought and values as the voice of the minority must be heard.”
