Amid the leadership tussle that has assailed the Lagos State House of Assembly in the last seven weeks, a lawmaker, who represents Agege Constituency I, Mudashiru Obasa, has been re-elected as the Speaker of the 40-member Assembly.
Obasa was re-elected on Monday after the resignation of Mojisola Meranda who stepped down as the Speaker of the House.
His re-election followed the nomination by a former Majority Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, who represents Eti-Osa Constituency 1.
Obasa subsequently took the oath of office as the new Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly seven weeks after his removal.
He was first elected into the House in 2007. He has been in the chamber since then. He emerged as a speaker in June 2015 before his removal in January 2025.
Game of Thrones Or Chess?
The leadership crisis in the Assembly became full-blown on January 13, 2025, when Obasa was removed as Lagos speaker by more than two-thirds of the 40-member house, who voted him out over alleged misconduct and sundry offenses.
Obasa’s then-deputy, Meranda, was immediately elected the new Speaker, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the South-West state.
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On January 25, 2025, Obasa vehemently rejected his removal and 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.
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