Muda Obasa: Let The Lagos Assembly Breathe

It is time for the impeached former Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa to move on and allow the chamber to breathe.

His removal as Speaker on Monday, January 13, 2025, was a result of allegations of misconduct and financial misappropriation leveled against him by his own colleagues.

His exit was not a minor decision—37 out of 40 lawmakers signed his removal and unanimously elected his deputy, Rt Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, as the new Speaker. Instead of attempting to disrupt the Assembly and threaten the system, he should take a moment to reflect on his journey—from humble beginnings to a position of great influence.

Speaker Meranda, the first female Speaker of the Lagos Assembly, has already been endorsed by the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and has met with President Bola Tinubu, receiving his blessings to complete the rest of the tenure. Any attempt to overturn the decision and return as Speaker is undemocratic and could render him politically irrelevant.

The Lagos Assembly is an independent institution and should be allowed to function as such. Seeking President Tinubu’s intervention for his reinstatement is unconstitutional. Using online journalists to push a narrative in his favor will also not help. Ironically, he once dismissed the media’s relevance, stating in 2015 that he only needed his colleagues and party leaders. Now, relying on the same media for a comeback seems contradictory.

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“If you truly believe you are innocent of the allegations against you, the honorable thing to do would be to voluntarily present yourself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) rather than petitioning against your colleagues for allegedly breaking government property to retrieve the mace. Do you expect the same lawmakers—who were locked out by the Department of State Services (DSS) because of your petition—to reinstate you? ,” one of the lawmakers said.

Obasa’s colleagues, after their ordeal with the DSS, have reaffirmed that there is no going back on his removal. Last Thursday, the DSS questioned them over a petition reportedly written by Obasa, in which he claimed that his removal was illegal.

Let’s not forget that Obasa’s actions embarrassed the entire Lagos Assembly on a global scale. He delayed GAC members, Lagos State Party Chairman and other Party Leaders as well as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat and other State Executive Council Members during the 2025 budget presentation.

⁠Following his removal and or impeachment, the development presented LAHA a landmark situation in which it has had its first Female Speaker of the State parliament since the return of democracy in 1999. This is a very good sign that also fulfils the very crucial 5th Goal of the SDGs on gender equality, and the fact that Lagos is ready for more progressive gender participation in decision-making. But what are we now hearing that there are ongoing attempts by the powers in Lagos State that the Speaker is about to be forced to resign to pacify some strong interests; could this be because Lagos is fundamentally patriarchal and the APC is actually non-progressive, despite its pretences?

The question on the lips of Lagosians now is, could it be true what we are hearing that the President is involved in this situation, as some claim that he wants a revert to the status quo or at least the replacement of Speaker Meranda with another man. Could this be a good time for such, considering the fact that in the very contentious elections of 2023, Lagos lost a very sizeable portion of its youth and female voters?

Would such a reversal not deepen the alienation of these sizeable demographics that could finally reverse the fortunes of the party in Lagos?

⁠If zoning is the key, what is the critical nature of this zoning that the first female speaker must be sacrificed even though voted for by her colleagues?

Mudasiru or “Broda Muda” as you are known in Agege, It is time to move on and allow peace to reign—not just in the Assembly, but within yourself. Accept the reality, let go of the past, and embrace the future. Move on and allow the Lagos House of Asembly Members breathe.

– Babatunde writes from Ajegunle, Lagos via [email protected]