The Lagos State House of Assembly’s leadership conflict has been settled by President Bola Tinubu, who has supported Mudashiru Obasa’s return as Speaker in spite of a previous call for his resignation. Following a meeting between Tinubu and all 40 MPs on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the resolution was adopted.
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The president’s choice runs counter to the suggestions made by a panel he established to settle the situation. Together with the Governance Advisory Council’s leadership, the panel, which was led by former Ogun State Governor Chief Gbenga Daniel and former Osun State Governor Chief Bisi Akande, had recommended that Obasa resign after being reinstated.
According to the PUNCH, in order to balance the state’s political structure, the panel first suggested that Mojisola Meranda step down as Speaker to make room for Obasa’s return, with the understanding that he would step down soon after as well. This would allow for the appointment of a new Speaker from Lagos West.
Meranda resigned and was re-elected as Deputy Speaker on March 3, 2025, which was 49 days after Obasa’s impeachment. Then, in accordance with the agreement, Obasa was restored as Speaker. But in defiance of the agreement, Obasa refused to step down as planned and adjourned the Assembly indefinitely. On January 13, 2025, 35 MPs ousted Obasa after accusing him of autocratic leadership, financial misappropriation, and highhandedness. Under pressure from party leaders, Meranda quit after taking his seat.
The PUNCH reported Wednesday that the lawmakers were escorted by security personnel inside the President’s office complex after arriving at the Presidential Villa in Abuja in a Coaster bus at approximately 2:00 pm. At around 3 p.m., Meranda and her coworkers arrived, but Obasa arrived alone. The meeting took place in private. In order to maintain stability in the Assembly and the state, Tinubu has mediated peace between the warring factions, according to a Presidency official who spoke anonymously to avoid being identified. The official asked members to cooperate with Obasa.
“Tinubu had a private meeting with the MPs. After they discussed their complaints, the president fixed the issues. Obasa will continue to serve as Speaker in light of the development. There is no longer any threat to his status. Every politician has committed to cooperating with him. Following the meeting, they all posed for pictures with the president. According to the source, it went smoothly.
The source promised that the President would speak with all parties involved in order to preserve unity, despite the fact that some Lagos stakeholders are unhappy that the original arrangement was not upheld. Naturally, Obasa’s breach of the agreement with the Akande panel has angered several parties.
The source went on to say, “I’m confident the President would involve everyone to resolve the issue.” According to a second source close to Obasa, Tinubu also ordered the Speaker to drop his legal action against his impeachment in the Lagos State High Court. The President instructed the parliamentarians to let Obasa work and to drop the legal action he was taking against Meranda and the lawmakers.
This has been approved by the MPs,” the source stated.Chief Fashanu Afolabi (SAN), Obasa’s attorney, told The PUNCH on Tuesday that even after being reinstated as Speaker, the Speaker did not drop his lawsuit. He claimed that the lawmakers’ serious accusations against Obasa needed to be disproved. “Because a few matters pertaining to the notice of allegation are still pending.”
In a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday, he stated, “We feel that those issues must be trashed out because the case of allegation contains reasons for the impeachment, which include highhandedness, fraudulent malpractices, and the rest.” The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja’s Justice Yetunde Pinheiro postponed Monday’s hearing in a lawsuit that Obasa had filed until March 17, 2025.
