Lawmakers and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly wept in the full glare of those present on Monday when the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, tendered her resignation letter to allow the previously impeached speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, to return to his position.
LEADERSHIP reports that the House had been engulfed in crisis since January 13 when Hon Mudashiru Obasa was removed as Speaker.
Most of the lawmakers and Assembly staff who spoke without inhibition applauded Meranda over how she led the House within the 49 days she was the speaker of the House, saying reversing the situation was a return to a reign of tyranny in the Assembly.
Before her resignation, Meranda who was the first female speaker of the state, and Obasa had earlier held a meeting with lawmakers, with Lawal Pedro, the Lagos State attorney general, and Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, in their midst.
READ ALSO: Obasa Regains Lagos Speakership Seat, Meranda Reverts To Deputy
Meranda was reappointed as the Deputy Speaker, while Mudashiru Obasa took the oath of Office as the Speaker. Also, Hon Sanni Okanlawon resigned as the Deputy Chief Whip, while Hon Setonji David resigned as the Chief Whip.
In the meantime, Hon. David was reelected as the Deputy Chief after being nominated by Hon. Kehinde Joseph. Hon. Richard Kasunmu returned as the Deputy Majority Leader, while Hon. Adewale Temitope retained the position.
Similarly, Deputy Speaker Mojeed Fatai resigned and was elected as the Chief Whip. Meranda returned as the new deputy speaker.
With this development, Meranda served as the Speaker for 49 days before bowing to the All Progressives Congress (APC) party supremacy principle.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the development was decided at the strategic meeting of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) with members of the House on Sunday.
It was further gathered that Hon Obasa had to beg for his return after the marathon meeting and promised to turn a new leaf.
The lawmakers took turns during the plenary to eulogise Meranda’s good qualities.
Moving the motion under matters of public importance, Hon Aro Moshood said, “Today, I stand in the House with a deep respect for leadership, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda. I want to appreciate your leadership style since you have started piloting the affairs of the House.
“Madam Speaker, under your leadership, we have witnessed a new focus, presiding with passion. You have been a source of inspiration to us. Thank you. May God bless you.”
Speaking at the Chamber, Meranda said, “My decision to resign was a personal sacrifice with the primary aim of entrenching democracy.
“I hereby give notice of my decision to resign effective March 3, 2025, after carefully considering the recent turmoil and the need to protect democracy.
“I also commend my colleagues, management and staff for their solidarity during my tenure of office. I leave this position as Speaker and shall continue to serve my constituency in Apapa Constituency 1.
“I am not a quitter. I decided to safeguard the institution to save the institution from conflict and embarrassment. The party is supreme, and therefore, I take a bow and step down as Speaker”.
In his remarks, the visibly humbled re-elected Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa commended the party leaders for making sacrifices to resolve the issues in the legislative arm of the state amicably.
He commended the former governors of Osun State, Bisi Akande and Olusegun Osoba, the GAC leaders, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat for their roles in resolving the crisis.
Obasa added that the House is capable, mature, and has internal mechanisms to resolve issues.
Sources in the Assembly reliably informed LEADERSHIP that the House adjourned indefinitely to allow the scars of the turmoil to heal completely, saying the current peaceful resolution was merely cosmetic.
The source said, “The initial plan was for Meranda to resign today and Obasa to resign on Wednesday, tomorrow. Then, another lawmaker from Lagos West would be elected to be the new speaker. Anything short of this arrangement is a waste of the party leaders’ efforts. One person cannot be superior to the 35 other lawmakers. It will not be business as usual again in this Assembly.”
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