Kunle Adelabu
From all indications, the embattled Speaker of the Lagos State, House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa’s job as the number one lawmaker in the state’s legislature may have been saved by the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
The President, following the meeting with the lawmakers at the Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, pleaded with the lawmakers to give Obasa a second chance and gave approval for his removal if he failed to change his ways.
We gathered that President Tinubu also said that he did not approve of Obasa’s removal because he believed that the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu and some other interests influenced the decision of the lawmakers.
Recall that Obasa was removed on January 13, 2025 for gross misconduct and replaced with his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda. However, the removal was contested by Obasa and the House that has been reputed to be a centre of excellence and legislative competence turned into a centre of violence, shoddiness and political intrigues.
This was the situation before the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) intervened and resolved with members that Meranda should resign her position as the Speaker while the removed Obasa should be reinstated as the Speaker. This compromise returned the duo back to their respective positions prior to January 13.
Also, other members of the house that were elected/appointed into different leadership positions were also returned to their initial positions, but despite all these, it was still uneasy in the house as regards proper legislative business and conduct.
This was the situation when members of the Assembly received invitation from President Tinubu, for a parley in Abuja.
At the meeting were a total of 38 Assembly members. Hon. Sangodara, and one other were not available for the meeting.
THE IMPACT gathered from some of the lawmakers that Hon. Sanni Ganiyu Babatunde Okanlawon (OKLA) (Kosofe I), Hon. Desmond Elliot, (Surulere Constituency I), Hon. Tobun Abiodun ( Epe I), Hon. Yishau Gbolahan (Eti – Osa II) and Hon. Aro Moshood Abiodun (AMA), spoke on behalf of the House members at the villa, analysing Obasa’s sins that led to his removal.
Among Obasa’s sins include disregard for time which members that spoke emphasized usually lead to the starting of plenary calls billed for 11am to begin between 4 and 5pm. Also, Obasa’s penchant for not allowing motions concerning house members’ constituencies to be moved despite being communicated to him to show their importance was listed.
Others were high handedness, disregard for the house rules, lack of respect for other members of the house among other crimes and misconduct.
They further alleged that the Speaker is behaving as if Agege is the only existing Constituency in Lagos. The LSHA lawmakers emphasized that they took the decision to oust the Speaker (Muda Obasa) when they could no longer condone his excesses.
THE IMPACT also gathered that the lawmakers expressed their fear towards 2027 because the House leadership under Obasa showed that he did not care if they failed to return and if APC was confronted with problems in other constituencies.
Additionally, they informed the President that the Speaker does not have a forgiving spirit and that he’s going to come after those that spearheaded his removal one after the other.
It was also gathered that, at the Presidential villa in Abuja, the President expressed his happiness for the honour done to him by the reversal of the lawmakers’ actions by returning Obasa as the speaker following the resignation of Meranda. He confirmed to the lawmakers that he was the one that indeed sent to them in that regard.
Mr President, we gathered said that members of the house must have been sponsored to remove Obasa whom they have tolerated for years emphasizing that if not sponsored, how did they tolerate him as the Speaker for many years?
He further stated that Obasa’s removal has shown that there are some powerful people that sponsored his removal with the Governor of Lagos, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu mentioned. He was said to have frowned at how such a decision was taken without being informed.
But it was also gathered that the lawmakers told the President over and over that such perception was not the case.
Upon listening to the grievances by the lawmaker, President Tinubu said that he was opposed to Obasa’s removal because he was not convinced that the governor did not sponsor them and that he never knew that all that misconduct was happening in the house.
Tinubu, we gathered, pleaded that he (Obasa) should be given another chance and that house members have his approval to remove him if he misbehaved again.
The estranged Speaker, some of the lawmakers confirmed, made a passionate appeal to the lawmakers and pleaded for forgiveness.
Obasa, we gathered, promised not to come after the lawmakers due to their roles in his removal.
After the meeting that lasted for two and half hours, the majority of the lawmakers returned back to Lagos and back to their constituencies since the house is still in recess. It was also gathered that Obasa and about five other lawmakers including Hon. Noheem Adams stayed back in Abuja for other businesses.
In a chat with Hon. Aro Moshood Abiodun (AMA), the representative of Ikorodu Constituency II, he confirmed that the meeting with Mr President was about the impasse at the Lagos Assembly.
He maintained that they followed the rules of law and the house rules in the removal of the speaker and enthroned another one, but admitted that they had to reverse their action after the party’s intervention and for the fact that the party is supreme.
“The meeting was just about the impasse at the Lagos State House of Assembly. You all know that there has been a tussle at the House of Assembly concerning the removal of the Speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa and the emergence of his Deputy as the Speaker and after a few days, Obasa came back stating that he was still in charge.
“We followed the rule of law and the standing order of the house in his removal. It was constitutionally done and we followed the due process. Be that as it may, we are also aware that the party is supreme.
“While the face – off was on, we were told that the President asked us to return Obasa as the Speaker because he was not aware of his removal.
“We were also told that same was also the position of the leadership of the party and that Speaker Meranda should resign. As party members who believe that the party is supreme, we towed that line of action and Hon. Meranda did resign as the Speaker of the House.
“Part of the agreement was that Obasa too would also resign. It was agreed that we would adjourn sine dine and that Obasa would tender his resignation before we resume back the plenary when he would read his letter of resignation to everybody’s hearing. That was what we were waiting for before we got the invitation of the President to the villa,” Hon. Aro said.
When asked to confirm that he was among those that spoke on behalf of the Assembly at the villa, Hon. Aro retorted:
“What we discussed with Mr President and our leader is family and state affairs. It was a productive interaction and the most important thing was that we were able to resolve issues and our concern is to move Lagos and our various constituencies forward.”
He, however, confirmed that he is one of the affected lawmakers that Obasa as a speaker had prevented motions that are germane to his (AMA) constituency and his people to be read on the floor.
“Yes, Personally, I am affected too. I sent him (Speaker Obasa) several motions that have to be canvassed in the interest of my constituency but he did not allow me to speak on the floor.
“These and many others are what prompted our reactions. We were not sponsored by anybody,” he confirmed.
When asked about the aftermath of the meeting with the President and the situation in the Assembly, Hon. Abiodun Aro, said the lawmakers are happy with Mr President’s intervention but added that the situation in the Assembly will be determined when the House returns from recess.
“The meeting with Mr President and our party leader went well. We had quite an engaging and fruitful interaction. We were happy for his intervention.
“At the moment, you know that we have adjourned sine dine, until we resume back, we will know the shape that things will take.
“At the moment, we are all back in our respective constituencies,” he said.
Speaking with another lawmaker, it was stated what happened at the Assembly which led to the invitation by President Tinubu, was a wakeup call for the members.
“What happened at the Assembly was a wakeup call for all of us. Many of us cannot walk freely in our constituencies and the Speaker is just behaving like he is the only one.
“We felt that enough was enough, because, if we had not done that, it would have been practically impossible for many to return back to the Assembly come 2027 because the Speaker cared less about our constituencies,” the lawmaker said.
