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Mudashiru Obasa

JUST IN: Lagos Assembly Speaker, Mojisola Meranda faces mounting pressure to step down

by Abduljelil Issa February 17, 2025

written by Abduljelil Issa

Sources have revealed that Mojisola Meranda may tender her resignation letter today as the speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly.

According to reports, Meranda is under immense pressure to pave the way for Mudashiru Obasa’s reinstatement.

The Speaker’s potential resignation follows a reported raid by DSS operatives, who allegedly locked down her office at the Assembly complex.

Armed security personnel have also taken over the premises and surrounding areas in Alausa, Ikeja.

The controversy surrounding Mudashiru Obasa’s impeachment as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly continues to simmer, with Obasa himself dismissing the move as illegal. His removal has created tension within the House, with many questioning the legitimacy of the impeachment process. Obasa insisted that his impeachment was unlawful and has further fueled the debate, leaving the political landscape uncertain.

According to Daily Trust, President Bola Tinubu’s intervention could pave the way for Obasa’s reinstatement as Speaker.

February 17, 2025 0 comments

Politics

Police grills two Lagos Assembly members over Speakership Crisis

by iDeemlawful January 30, 2025

written by iDeemlawful

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has questioned Lanre Afinni and Sylvester Ogunkelu, two members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, regarding the ongoing crisis within the assembly.

According to Sahara Reporters, multiple sources on Thursday, while Ogunkelu was detained by the police, the other lawmaker, Afinni was granted administrative bail over health challenges on Wednesday.

Recall that the House has been in the news since January 13 when Mudashiru Obasa was removed as Speaker and replaced with his deputy, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, while he was away in United States.

Recall that Since January 13, the state House of Assembly has been in the spotlight after Mudashiru Obasa was removed as Speaker while he was out of the country.

His deputy, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, took over his position in his absence.

On Saturday, Obasa faulted the process that led to his removal as speaker, arguing that the lawmakers did not adhere to “constitutional processes”.

However, the assembly responded and affirmed its decision to remove him, adding that any “attempt to heat up the polity will be resisted by the majority members of the House”.

In a latest development, sources said Ogunkelu, who represents Epe 2 and his counterpart, Afinni who represents Lagos Island Constituency 2, are under investigation over allegations that they destroyed government properties in the Assembly chambers during Obasa’s removal.

Based on the allegation of vandalising public property levelled against them, the two lawmakers reportedly honoured invitations by the police.

Sources said both were subjected to interrogation on Wednesday by investigative officers.

“On the day of Obasa’s removal, the then Clerk of the House, Barrister Lekan Onafeko was not in the House and his office was locked,” one of the sources added.

“Hon. Ogunkelu, aka Sketel and Hon. Afinni physically led the charge to fetch the mace for the House sitting and had to destroy the door and some government properties to get hold of the symbol of authority.

“It is on these grounds that the police invited them. As we speak, Sketel is in detention while Afinni was released due to his health challenges,” another source said.

The police is yet to react to the development as of press time

January 30, 2025 0 comments

Featured Politics

How impeached Lagos Speaker Obasa Hid Two Maces To Block Impeachment while abroad

by iDeemlawful January 25, 2025

written by iDeemlawful

Impeached Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa is reported to have pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to have his impeachment nullified.

Obasa was impeached earlier this month for gross misconduct and abuse of office, prompting his swift departure to the US, a source close to the Lagos House of Assembly revealed the development.

It was learnt that the former speaker who fell out of favour with President Tinubu returned to Abuja last weekend after assurances of no arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or any other law enforcement agencies.

It was earlier reported that the former Speaker was facing scrutiny from the EFCC over allegations involving misappropriation of ₦43.5 billion in state funds.

-The Meeting-

It was reliably gathered that the embattled Speaker, Obasa had a meeting with Tinubu, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and some other All Progressives Congress stakeholders immediately after his impeachment was executed.

During the meeting, he argued that his impeachment ought to be nullified since he had hidden the two maces in possession of the state House of Assembly.

However, He was informed that the mace used during the session in which he was impeached was brought from the old Assembly building.

One of the sources said, “President Tinubu had summoned all the stakeholders; Lagos lawmakers, Lagos Governor’s Advisory Council, Obasa himself and Lagos Governor to Abuja for consultations and understanding.

Distasteful-

It was also understood that the President Tinubu was unhappy about his removal.

“The President was unhappy.

“”The removal of Obasa was orchestrated without his express approval, and that he learnt about it from the news and social media.

Except this lack of approval, he told Obasa that “he was not born a Speaker, and that speakership was not created with him”.

The Push-

“Obasa pushed for the nullification of his impeachment on the grounds that the mace used to conduct business of the day on that fateful day wasn’t the official mace of the Lagos House of Assembly

Adding that “he hid away the two maces while travelling out of the country.

“The lawmakers defeated his argument by confirming the mace used as the old mace of the parliament in the old building of the assembly.

“Seeing the futility of his claims, Obasa requested the President to prevail on the new leadership to grant him access to his belongings at the Speaker’s lodge and guest house. This was granted by the President,” the source added.

Sources told SaharaReporters that Obasa is expected to visit the lodge and guest house today (Saturday), after returning to Lagos.

“But his visit will be under strict supervision to ensure no public property is looted by the former Speaker.

The save’

“To save face, the Chairman of Agege local government, Ganiyu Egunjobi has embarked on mobilisation of Obasa’s supporters.

“To receive him on arrival in Lagos and also attend a meeting convened by the former Speaker in GRA, Ikeja later today,” one of the sources said.

It was understood that on Friday, upon his return, Obasa moved to his house at Joel Ogunnaike in GRA, Ikeja at 9.00 am where his loyalists would organise a large welcome party for him.

“Deposed Speaker of Lagos House of Assembly will return to Lagos tomorrow and move to his house at Joel Ogunnaike, GRA Ikeja at 9.00 am prompt where a welcome party awaits him,” the source said.

The impeachment’

Obasa was impeached by more than two-thirds of the 40-member legislative house over alleged misconduct and sundry offences.

Obasa’s deputy, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, was immediately elected the new Speaker, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the South-West state.

Obasa, from Agege Constituency I, was first elected into the House in 2007. He has since been in the chamber since then. He emerged speaker in June 2015 before his removal in January 2025.

On Monday, January 13, 2025, Obasa was impeached for gross misconduct and abuse of office.

Backstory’

It was reported that in another misuse of public funds and abuse of office, then Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Obasa, received N53m from the state coffers to travel with his mistress to the United States of America.

The report said Obasa got the House to approve the fund to facilitate a trip to Georgia, United States, for the 2019 US-Nigeria Trade and Investment Global Summit.

An event he was billed to attend with some members of the Assembly and their staff.

The event was subsequently postponed but rather than return the fund to the state’s treasury, Obasa diverted the funds for personal use as he travelled to the US with his mistress.

In a document sighted by SaharaReporters dated October 15, 2019, Obasa had requested the Assembly to release the funds so he could attend the summit along with one of his staff.

The document partly read, “Given the above, kindly seek approval of the Rt. Hon. Speaker for release of the sum of N53,719,405 only to enable them to attend the programme.

“Hon. Speaker, please read from page 39 of file. You are respectfully invited to consider and approve the release of N53,719,405 to facilitate the attendance of the Hon. Speaker, Hon. members and one member of staff at the Y2019 US – Nigeria Trade and Investment Global Summit scheduled to take place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from 26th – 28th September 2019.”

It was gathered that though the meeting was rescheduled, Obasa travelled to the US with his mistress in place of his legislative staff.

An official of the Lagos Assembly confided that the Speaker was always in the habit of travelling with his mistress in place of his staff whenever he was leaving the country for official purpose.

“The Speaker and his mistress, who doubles as his protocol and external relations officer in the Assembly, only went to the US after collecting N53m for the US-Nigeria Trade and Investment Global Summit.

“No other staff or member of the Assembly travelled with the Speaker or attended the event,” the source said.

Another person close to the Speaker’s team also confirmed the lamentation and anger of some of the staff listed on this approval, who couldn’t embark on the trip or got a share of the money.

There are also reports of how Obasa fraudulently approved millions of naira for himself through the award of contracts to companies owned by him.

Other reports also revealed how he approved N17m monthly to maintain his personal residence and guest house

January 25, 2025 0 comments

Politics

“I’m still the speaker” – Obasa dares Lagos Assembly opponents

by iDeemlawful January 25, 2025

written by iDeemlawful

Despite facing criticism and allegations, Mudashiru Obasa asserts that he continues to hold the position of Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and intends to maintain that role until due process is followed and the appropriate actions are taken.

iDeemlawful reports that members of the Assembly on January 13 impeached Obasa after alleging gross misconduct and abuse of office.

His removal also came a few weeks after he was accused of spending N17 billion on a gate to the assembly complex.

At the plenary on January 13, the lawmakers unanimously removed Obasa who had been in the saddle since 2015 as the Speaker.

Obasa, who was away during the impeachment saga, was welcomed back home by his loyalists at his Joel Ogunnaike GRA residence in Ikeja, on Saturday.

While responding to questions from newsmen shortly after he addressed his supporters, Obasa insisted that he remained the Speaker.

“My status in the house? I believe strongly I am still the speaker until the right thing has been done. If you want to remove me, remove me the proper way and I will not contest it.

“I’m a Muslim and I believe in fate. But let’s do it the way it should be done.”

When asked if a legal battle is in the offing, Obasa responded “You will know . It’s a matter of time. Thank you and God bless you

January 25, 2025 0 comments

Politics

‘He plots his own downfall’- Emerging facts reveal How Lagos Speaker Obasa was impeached

by iDeemlawful January 14, 2025

written by iDeemlawful

Some emerging facts have revealed how the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly was impeached on Monday by lawmakers.

Upon Obasa’s impeachment, Mojisola Meranda was promptly chosen as the new speaker.

During an interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” program on Monday, political analyst Jide Ojo stated that Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa’s downfall was primarily self-inflicted.

Ojo attributed Obasa’s downfall to his perceived sense of superiority to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stemming from his close relationship with president Bola Tinubu.

Ojo also suggested that Obasa bit the fingers that fed him and plotted his downfall following his derogatory remarks against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and disrespect for All Progressive Congress (APC) leaders.

The political analyst revealed that the former Speaker was rebuffed by lawmakers after he disrespected Sanwo-Olu during the presentation of the 2025 budget figures.

He disclosed that the impeached Speaker failed to apologise for keeping the Governor and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) waiting for several hours during the budget presentation, adding that despite the intervention of Tinubu, Obasa remained adamant.

“On social media, most allusions were that he (Obasa) was disrespectful to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the way he carried out during the budget presentation exercise, particularly when he made that snide remark that I am not too young or inexperienced to be the governor of the state and I am more qualified than some of those people who are there,” he said.

“So, it’s presumed to be a snide remark at a sitting governor. Incidentally, as a speaker or deputy speaker of the House of Assembly, you do not have immunity, you are just there at the grace of your members.”

Ojo wondered what must have prompted such derogatory remarks from Obasa, adding that keeping the governor and party elders waiting without any apologies was tantamount to disrespect and abuse of power

January 14, 2025 0 comments

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