GistNexus, January 13, 2025 – Tragedy has struck for members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and impeachment on Monday speared by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa due to accusations of financial misconduct and violating statutory requirements. This decision has sent shock waves across the political terrain in the state, coming barely a week after revelations of how Obasa allegedly coordinated the withdrawal of N43.5 billion for backup vehicles for lawmakers and other contentious expenses.
Mr. Obasa was then at the time in Atlanta at the time of the impeachment, and his immediate ensuring was done by his deputy, Mojisola “Lasbat” Meranda. Meranda is also an Apapa Constituency 1 representative; she is not new to the House, having served as Chief Whip of the House in the last Assembly. This appointment marks a dramatic change of guard in the Assembly.
This came after the exposé published by The Gazette on January 10 regarding Obasa’s involvement in dubious financial activities, part of which was the controversial expense on vehicles. Lawmakers have said to have shared the article and an internal document concerning expenditure backing the allegations to bolster grounds for his impeachment.
Mudashiru Obasa turned fifty-two years last month. He was first elected Speaker of the House of Assembly on June 8, 2015, under former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. All through his time in office, Obasa has faced unceasing allegations of fraud, political thuggery, and mismanagement of public funds in every manner. Noteworthy is that in 2020, The Gazette put out a series of investigations alleging that Obasa carried money from the Lagos State government to his own business and bank accounts.
Sahara Reporters have uncovered several properties all under the name of Obasa in different locations such as Lagos. This report was what made EFCC bring Obasa in for questioning on the claims and then subsequently released him after a series of meetings with detectives.
While some lawmakers said one of the reasons they cited Obasa’s financial shenanigans was for his impeachment, others hinged their excuses on his dictatorial authority, which they said has brought an already-fractured House to its knees. Making a point on the deliberation on impeachment by the Speaker, Abiodun Tobun, lawmaker from Epe Constituency 1, said, “It is only death which is unchangeable. So change is inevitable. Today, members of parliament have chosen to change the House’s leadership. It is clear that the House can regulate its affairs through the Constitution”.
“Hon. Mojisola Meranda has been unanimously agreed upon to become the new Speaker; Hon. Fatai Adebola will be the Deputy Speaker. It was a resolution concurred by all members of the House. Right now, all principal positions and standing committees in the House have been dissolved.”
The removal of Obasa is an effort aimed at restoring the Assembly’s integrity and sanity, Tobun explained. “We owe our constituencies-the duty of restoring sanity and integrity in this House to Lagos State. That is why we have taken this corrective measure to save our image and our state,” he added.
According to many, Obasa’s dismissal is a culmination of a series of controversies surrounding his leadership, highlighted by the latest one which emanated from a disputed N17 billion expenditure on the construction of a new gate for the Lagos State House of Assembly. The Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition had previously accused the Assembly of financial misappropriation in relation to the gate construction, and it was this claim which Obasa snubbed, dismissing it as “spurious and laughable.”
Shortly after the allegations broke, Obasa denied the charges vehemently, terming them as politically-motivated. “How many millions do you get in allocation for a whole year for anyone to claim we spent ₦17 billion on a gate? They even alleged that we spent ₦200 million on the recently organised 22nd Thanksgiving service, which is untrue,” he said.
He is a lawmaker in Agege Constituency I under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for six consecutive times. Obasa asked the issue to be dismissed as politically induced and also claimed that such claims were likely to arise again when the 2027 elections are trending. “It looks like they are scared for some reason, I don’t know why. Such project has not been undertaken by this House. We are not reckless,” he declared.
Despite him downplaying the allegations, even the pressure from lawmakers and the public at large finally decided his fate and led to his ouster. His cloudy leadership had been marred with long-standing accusations of sleaze and had kept on being questioned-indeed, for years- over his ability to hold on to the position.
Nevertheless, the government said his dismissal from the House was a consequence of his inability to demonstrate confidence in his relationship with the House members. However, he, while confirming his dismissal, refrains from communicating about the dismissal to anyone. And with mixed feelings, begins to assess what will become of administration within a period of one and a half months.
And in a way, Mirenda’s ascension to the Speaker position is expected to chart a new course for the Assembly. Observers generally believe that her leadership will foster more transparency and accountability in the House especially considering the controversies arising from Obasa’s tenure. For Meranda, however, the road is tough ahead. All eyes would be on her capability to regain trust in the legislative process and address issues concerning the House getting a tainted image emanating from misappropriation of funds as the Assembly moves ahead.
Impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa puts the Lagos State House of Assembly on a historic turning point in politics possibly to be changed in the state. Now the Assembly has a New Speaker; it will face the biggest immediate challenge of rebuilding its image in working towards restoring the integrity of its operations.
As events unfold, GistNexus will keep audiences updated on happenings within the Lagos House of Assembly and beyond affected politically by the history-making impeachment.
Reported by Mr. Kayode Qadir And Editted by Mr. Chibueze Onwuka