The impeached lawmaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who represents Agege Constituency I,has been re-elected as the Speaker of the lagos state house of Assembly after a leadership tussle that lasted almost seven weeks.
Obasa re-election on Monday follows the resignation of Mojisola Meranda who stepped down as the Speaker of the House.
Obasa was re-elected after the nomination by a former Majority Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, who represents Eti-Osa Constituency 1. He then took the oath of office as the new Speaker.
Remember that Obasa was first elected into the House in 2007, after which he emerged as a speaker in 2015. He had remained the speaker until January 2025 where he was voted out by more than two-thirds of the 40-member house, over alleged misconduct and sundry offenses.
Obasa’s then-deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected the new Speaker, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the South-West state.
A battle which lasted for seven weeks with Obasa vehemently rejecting his removal shook the Assembly.
Obasa insisted that he remained the speaker until the right thing had been done. He faulted the militarisation of the assembly complex during the impeachment process. He also claimed his removal as speaker took place in his absence — when he was out of Nigeria.
However, 36 lawmakers loyal to Meranda insisted that Obasa’s removal was final and that Meranda remained the speaker of the House.
On February 17, 2025, tempers flared at the Assembly Complex when security agents and some legislative workers clashed over the presence of the former in the hallowed chambers. Thereafter, thirty-six of the lawmakers passed a vote of confidence in an emotional Meranda and adjourned sitting indefinitely.
On February 27, 2025, Obasa showed up at the Assembly Complex and was chaperoned by a retinue of armed, stern-looking uniformed security operatives as he walked into the hallowed chambers. Last Thursday’s appearance was Obasa’s first in the Assembly since his removal as Lagos speaker on Monday, January 13, 2025.
Obasa insisted that he remained the speaker of the House despite protests by his colleagues who rejected his leadership and pledged loyalty to Meranda.
Is Obasa’s re-election into the position of speaker of the Assembly after a vote of no confidence was passed a result of his ability to clear the allegations against him or as a result of forces higher than the 40 lawmakers sitting in the House?
