•Impeached Lagos Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa
Mudasiru Obasa’s reign as speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly was brought to an abrupt end yesterday after he was unanimously impeached by members of the Assembly. This piece highlights the hubris, battles and intrigues that sealed Obasa’s fate, reports The PUNCH.
Yesterday, Mudashiru Obasa was impeached as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly over multiple allegations of fraud, with keen followers of Lagos politics insinuating his removal was a fallout of underground intrigues and battles.
His removal came days after he was alleged to have overseen the withdrawal of N43.5 billion for backup vehicles for lawmakers, among other multiple statutory and financial infractions.
He was reportedly in Atlanta, United States of America when the lawmakers convened and embarked on processes leading to his impeachment. Shortly after his removal, some of his loyalists who stormed the Assembly were seen in a Black Maria parked in front of the House of Assembly complex with the inscription, ‘Lagos State Task Force.’
In the significant political shakeup that followed his removal, the Deputy Speaker, Mrs Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected as the new speaker, while the Deputy Chief Whip, Fatai Mojeed, was elected as the new deputy speaker.
Until his removal, Obasa had served as the House Speaker from June 2015.
The member representing Epe Constituency 1, Abiodun Tobun, described the decision to change the House leadership as unanimous.
While announcing the new leaders of the House, Tobun added that all standing committees and principal positions had been dissolved.
He said, “It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable. Members of the Parliament today have decided to change the leadership of the House. The Constitution makes it clear that the House has the power to regulate its proceedings.
“The members of the House felt we had had enough of the leadership of Mudashiru Obasa. We unanimously agreed that Mojisola Meranda would become the new speaker and Fatai Adebola would be the deputy speaker. It was a resolution concurred by all members of the parliament. As we speak, all principal positions and standing committees of the House have been dissolved.
“The House has resolved to work together to move the parliament to the next level. We cannot sit back and watch the parliament fall into ruin. We owe our constituencies and Lagos State the duty of restoring the sanity and integrity of this House. That is why we have taken this action—to save our image and our state.”
One politician, several battles
During his nine-year reign as Speaker, Obasa fought many battles, including allegations of misappropriation of funds and the battle to hold on to the position, term after term. However, he seemed irremovable until yesterday.
In 2020, Obasa was invited to be questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations of diversion of Lagos funds to his personal firms and bank account. However, he denied all the allegations.
The most recent allegation he shoved aside as “spurious and laughable” was that the Assembly spent N17 billion in constructing a gate. In his defence, Obasa said the allegations were politically motivated, pointing out specifically that “such baseless claims will arise as the 2027 elections approach.”
He said, “It is funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in a whole year for anyone to claim we spent N17 billion on a gate? They even alleged that we spent N200m on the recently organised 22nd Thanksgiving Service, which is untrue.
“We are aware that as elections in 2027 approach, such baseless claims will arise. It seems some people are scared, and I don’t know why. This House has not embarked on any such project. We are not reckless. Our Thanksgiving Service was held last Friday, attended by dignitaries from across the state.”
The unfortunate speech
But political observers are of the view that Obasa’s cup got filled with his remarks when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on November 21, 2024, presented the state’s 2025 budget of N3,005,935,198,401. During the presentation, Obasa pivoted from the issue of the day into a long comment about his purported ambition to succeed Sanwo-Olu.
He remarked, imperiously, that despite ongoing speculation, he had not seriously considered running for governor. He emphasised that his primary concern was strengthening the party in the state.
Observers say Obasa’s remarks, which some Lagos power brokers reportedly deemed haughty, were the final straw.
The former speaker declared that while he had not given the matter a serious thought, he did not lack the experience to contest the governorship election. He also added that none of the past occupiers of the office, once held by his godfather, was better than him.
“Becoming a governor is secondary; it is something that I have not given serious consideration. Nevertheless, that does not mean I am too young or lack experience to run; whereas, those who have been before me are not better off.
“In addition, it is also important to correct the impression from some naysayers who have been insinuating that I made payment to seek blood relations in Ojo to validate my candidacy to run as governor.
“Of course, I have never denied the fact that I am Obasa. Rather, I have never claimed to be related to Onikoyi, Oniru, or any of the other popular Lagos families as the case may be. I can indeed never run (away) from the fact that I am related to my Obasa family in Ojo. But I do not need local validity to contest or run any election. If eventually, I am contesting, I will do so from Agege,” Obasa said.
In a show of political strength, Obasa’s allies in the Assembly rallied around him and the lawmakers passed a vote of confidence on the embattled speaker. However, that show of confidence only lasted six weeks. Politics and how the tide could change in minutes!
The day things fell apart
It was learnt that Obasa’s fate might have been sealed during President Tinubu’s visit to Lagos for the festive season.
Sources in the know said that the first sign of trouble for the speaker appeared when observers noticed a change in the president’s disposition towards him. The ‘powerful’ Governor’s Advisory Council had visited the president at his Lagos home to report Obasa to Tinubu, who in addition to being the national leader of the ruling party also doubles as the godfather of Lagos politics.
The Chairman of GAC, Tajudeen Olusi, was said to have opened the discussion reminding the president of how highly the governor’s office was held in the state when he was governor between 1999 and 2007. Olusi was then said to have told the president that the disrespect that Governor Sanwo-Olu had suffered at the hands of the speaker was no longer acceptable. According to sources, Olusi went on to reel off instances when the speaker disrespected the governor, including one instance where some elders had to physically intervene and reprimand the speaker.
The president, a source at the meeting said, was quite displeased with the feedback given by the GAC leadership and went on to tongue-lash him.
Tinubu reportedly excoriated Obasa for not just disrespecting the governor and his office, but also for poorly co-managing the politics of the state.
Tinubu allegedly cited the case of a bill being put forward by the Assembly to enable them to sack the Chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission.
A source at the meeting said the president scoffed at the idea, describing it as a huge joke, presided over by the speaker.
The president, the source said, amused by the very idea, wondered aloud, “Which governor will sign such a bill into law, anyway?”
After the meeting was dismissed and everybody made to leave, the speaker was said to have run after the president into an inner room, in a bid to tell his side of the story and probably pacify a visibly angry Tinubu.
Suspecting Obasa’s move, a couple of other GAC members allegedly joined in that second meeting, where the issues were further discussed and the speaker was still condemned, by the majority.
‘He saw himself as an Emperor’
A chieftain of the APC, Fouad Oki, justified the impeachment of Obasa, saying the ex-speaker was beginning to see himself as an emperor.
Reacting to Obasa’s removal on a Channels Television programme yesterday, Oki said the removal of the sixth-term APC lawmaker representing Agege Constituency I, was not unexpected for any discerning watcher of Lagos politics.
Oki said, “He saw himself as an emperor. It became very obvious that there was a need for a change in the leadership of the parliament in Lagos. If you cast your mind back, you must have seen this coming in the last 18 months.
“Recall the events on the day when the governor presented the 2025 appropriation bill and the leadership of the party was invited to the convention.
“Not only was the governor kept waiting for over four hours, but the leadership of the party and all invited dignitaries were also kept waiting with no apology given. And when he came into the chambers, courtesies, too, were not extended to anyone.
“Rather, it was a situation or an event of letting people know that ‘I am the emperor here.’ One of the ways to check such an irresponsible attitude is by stopping his excesses,” he stated.
The grassroots politician stressed that the impeachment was done in Tinubu’s best interest to see that Lagos continued to remain pivotal in terms of his political leadership. He added, “Before the president came home, this issue had been lingering. In the wisdom of members of the Governor’s Advisory Council, the president’s attention was called. The president, as father and leader, called a meeting wherein he tried to make a sense out of the observations raised by elders of the party. Unfortunately, the President saw the (former) speaker as recalcitrant. I think that is what broke the camel’s back.”
The 2027 angle
In the aftermath of the impeachment, Obasa’s travails have been linked to the 2027 race. There is speculation that Obasa was poised to battle for the All Progressives Congress ticket with Seyi Tinubu, immediate past Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode; Senator Tokunbo Abiru; and other heavyweights.
Moreover, Seyi has been receiving a series of endorsements from many groups though Obasa, who was the longest-serving speaker of Lagos insisted he was not too young or inexperienced to run.
Ahead of the 2027 poll, the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders, an umbrella body of youth groups across the six geopolitical zones, endorsed Seyi for the Lagos governorship position in 2027. Those angling for Ambode’s return say they want him to complete 16 years for Christians before power could return to the Muslims in the state.
In an interview with TVC yesterday, a former speaker of the Lagos Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, said there was more to the impeachment beyond the trending speculations.
When asked whether it had to do with Obasa’s intention to run for governor, Ikuforiji said, “I don’t think I will agree with that because the present governor is in his second term. He can’t run for that office again. So, there is no reason why he will be annoyed that the Speaker wants to run for the office of the governor. That cannot be part of this thing.”
When asked about the influence of the GAC and other political interests, he said, “Yes there are bigger interests but I don’t think anybody in the Governor’s Advisory Council will be annoyed with a Speaker wanting to run for the office of the governor.
“I got into the House together with Obasa in 2003 and I left almost 10 years ago and he is still there. So, what next? It’s an acceptable ambition. Though you may ask yourself, the time is still so far, why getting the whole polity heated up over the issue of 2027? I don’t think it’s right.”
Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu has distanced himself from the impeachment of Speaker Obasa. Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, in an interview with our correspondent, described Obasa’s impeachment as a strict legislative affair devoid of politics or the state government’s influence or interference.
“It is purely a legislative matter and the Assembly handled it the best way they could. It has nothing to do with the governor,” Akosile simply said, citing the Separation of Powers in the constitution, involving the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary.
