The ousted Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, made a dramatic entry into the assembly complex on Thursday, February 27, 2025, accompanied by security personnel.
Obasa reportedly arrived at the Speaker’s Office around noon, a move that followed the withdrawal of security aides attached to the current Speaker, Mojisola Meranda.
Confirming the development, Meranda’s Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ajiboye, accused Obasa and his team of forcefully entering the office. “We’re at the assembly now,” a source close to Obasa also confirmed.
The Lagos Assembly has been entangled in a leadership crisis since Obasa’s removal and Meranda’s subsequent election as Speaker.
Over 90 percent of lawmakers had accused Obasa of poor leadership, habitual lateness to plenary sessions, high-handedness, intimidation of colleagues, abuse of office, and financial misappropriation, among other allegations.
In an effort to resolve the crisis, senior All Progressives Congress (APC) figures, including former governors Bisi Akande (Osun), Segun Osoba (Ogun), and Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), intervened over the weekend at the directive of President Bola Tinubu. The meetings, involving key political stakeholders and assembly members, reportedly led to a consensus that both Obasa and Meranda might step aside for another lawmaker to assume the role of Speaker.
According to Chief Muraina Taiwo, a member of the Governors Advisory Council, party leaders are considering one of the seven lawmakers from Lagos West as the next Speaker.
