Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday distanced himself from the impeachment of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa. Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, described Obasa’s impeachment as strictly a legislative matter, with no influence or interference from the state government.
“It is purely a legislative matter and the Assembly handled it the best way they could. It has nothing to do with the governor,” Akosile said, emphasizing the separation of powers between the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary as outlined in the constitution.
Details surrounding the Speaker’s removal remain unclear. However, it has been reported that Obasa was removed by members of the Lagos State House of Assembly due to multiple allegations, including misconduct, abuse, and financial misappropriation.
The Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, was also suspended indefinitely, while the Chief Whip, Mojeed Fatai, was elected the new Deputy Speaker. The House has not issued a formal statement on the development.
Multiple sources confirmed that the lawmakers removed Obasa during a sitting on Monday after 90 percent of the House backed the motion. The Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, was subsequently sworn in as the new Speaker, becoming the first female to hold the position.
In a viral video, a lawmaker, flanked by other members of the Assembly, stated, “It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable. Members of the parliament today have decided to change the leadership of the House. The Constitution makes it clear that the House has the power to regulate its proceedings.
“The members of the House felt we had had enough of the leadership of Mudashiru Obasa. We unanimously agreed that Hon. Mojisola Meranda would become the new Speaker and Hon. Fatai Adebola would be the Deputy Speaker. It was a resolution concurred by all members of the parliament. As we speak, all principal positions and standing committees of the House have been dissolved.”
Obasa’s Chief Press Secretary, Eromosele Ebhomele, did not respond to calls or text messages regarding the development.
When asked whether the state would prosecute Obasa over the allegations of fraud, Akosile said that since it was the Assembly that accused the former Speaker, it was up to the lawmakers to decide how to proceed.
Obasa had recently dismissed allegations that the Assembly spent N17bn on constructing a gate, calling them “spurious and laughable.” A group, the Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending such an amount on the gate and called for an investigation.
At a plenary session, the former Speaker denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated. “It is funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in a whole year for anyone to claim we spent N17bn on a gate? They even alleged that we spent N200m on the recently organised 22nd Thanksgiving Service, which is untrue,” he said.
Speculation has also arisen that Obasa’s impeachment is linked to his ambition to run for the governorship position in Lagos in 2027. During the presentation of the 2025 budget to the Lagos Assembly by Governor Sanwo-Olu in November 2024, Obasa commented on his political future, stating, “To the blackmailers who have embarked on the mission to distort and redefine our mission, let me state it unequivocally here, our intention is to promote our party on the platform of mandate.
“Also, becoming governor is secondary; it is something that I have not given serious consideration. Nevertheless, that does not mean I am too young or lack experience to run; whereas, those who have been before me are not better off.”
Obasa’s comments came amid speculations that President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, might be eyeing the governorship position, which has been criticized by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
The APC in Lagos dismissed claims of political influence over the Speaker’s removal. State Publicity Secretary Seye Oladejo stated, “Our party respects the separation of powers. We are not known to unduly interfere in what is an internal affair of the legislature. The party has never been known to unnecessarily interfere.”
On whether Governor Sanwo-Olu had a role in Obasa’s sacking, Oladejo dismissed the claims, stating, “All those things including that he (Obasa) was nursing governorship ambition, those things are speculations and will remain in the realm of speculations until proven otherwise. There is no way people will not speculate if they are not in the clear of what actually transpired. If you listen to the reasons of the House, there was nowhere they mentioned the APC giving directives.”
Peoples Democratic Party Deputy Chairman in Lagos, Tai Benedict, stated that Obasa’s impeachment was not unexpected, pointing out that Obasa’s potential to contest for governorship posed a threat to certain groups.
“We heard it and it’s expected. Number one, you can’t continue to fool people, one day the truth will be revealed. Obasa, to the best of my knowledge, is a Lagosian and I believe that because he is interested in the governorship of the state, that is the beginning of the whole episode.
“As a Lagosian, they know he has that ticket. They know he can and if he wins, as a true Lagosian – if you look at all the people that contested the governorship since the era of Tinubu, none of them is a pure breed Lagosian. By the time we get somebody who is blood and water Lagosian, a lot of things will be revealed.”
On the allegations against Obasa, Benedict added, “These financial allegations came up overnight. The system of the Nigerian government is what we are seeing. I don’t want to say it’s a lie but if he’s in their good book, as of today, he will be covered as usual.”
The Secretary of the Labour Party in Lagos, Sam Okpala, said the party was watching closely, hoping the APC would “deal” with its internal issues.
“The impeached Speaker is not a member of our party, the Labour Party. We have just a member in the Lagos Assembly. We are watching the development in the Assembly; we are watching the development in the APC. We want the APC to deal with themselves.”
A former three-term member of the Lagos Assembly, Muyiwa Jimoh, noted that Obasa’s impeachment had been long overdue. “I was Deputy Majority Leader when he was made the Speaker in 2015. I was serving during his tenure and when he was re-elected we saw his shortcomings and other infractions but as a trained leader, we attempted to show him his lapses and also speak to him to ensure that the errors were corrected going forward to move the Assembly and the state forward.
“But eventually, he started the new tenure and he started fighting everybody. I am happy that those who were supporting him then are those who eventually impeached him today. Invariably, what I am saying is that the impeachment is long overdue. This decision of the house is not paramount to personal gratification but for the good of the state at large,” Jimoh said.
Obasa, 52, has represented Agege State Constituency I and had served as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly since 2015.
