One month after his contentious removal as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa has yet to attend any legislative sittings, further fueling political tensions surrounding his ouster. His prolonged absence from the Assembly comes after a majority vote of 40 lawmakers on January 13, 2025, removed him from office, accusing him of financial misappropriation and abuse of office. The move came as a shock while Obasa was in the United States at the time.
Upon his return to Lagos on January 25, 2025, Obasa vehemently rejected the allegations, challenging his colleagues to provide evidence to substantiate their claims. He has also continued to resist acknowledging Mojisola Meranda as the new Speaker, insisting that his removal was unconstitutional and invalid.
In an exclusive interaction with journalists at the Speaker’s Lodge in GRA Ikeja after his arrival, Obasa reaffirmed his belief that he remains the rightful Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He argued that due process was not followed in his removal and that he should still be in office until the proper procedures are observed. He also noted that if he were to be removed, it should be done in line with the correct legal process, stating, “If you want to remove me, do it the right way, and I won’t contest it. I am a Muslim, and I believe in fate. But let’s ensure due process is followed.”
Assembly Moves Forward Without Obasa
Despite his firm stance and return to Lagos, Obasa has not appeared in any legislative sessions since his removal. In his absence, Meranda has presided over at least five plenary sessions, quickly reorganizing the House by appointing new principal officers and committees, signaling a shift in leadership within the Assembly. Her actions indicate that the House is moving forward under her leadership, regardless of Obasa’s position.
The sixth plenary session since Obasa’s removal is set to take place today, February 13, 2025, but Obasa’s continued absence from the Assembly remains a point of contention, with the political landscape still highly charged. While some argue that his absence is a temporary issue, others are raising legal concerns about his position as a lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly. According to Chapter 5, Part II, Section 109 (1)(f) of the Nigerian Constitution (1999), a legislator’s seat can only be declared vacant if they miss more than one-third of the total sittings in a year without valid justification. At this point, Obasa is still within the legal threshold, but prolonged absenteeism could place his legislative seat at risk of being vacated.
In response to these developments, a source close to Obasa told Punch on Wednesday that the House of Assembly remains “on recess,” in alignment with remarks made by the Vice Chairman of Agege Local Government, Oluwagbenga Abiola. According to the source, this means that the Assembly has not officially resumed its regular sittings, even though Meranda has been presiding over meetings. Abiola asserted that the House was still on recess, which could justify Obasa’s absence and cast doubt on the legitimacy of any sessions that took place before February 18, 2025. Abiola explained that the mace, the symbol of authority in the Assembly, had recognized the closure of the House and scheduled its reopening in accordance with the constitutional rules for legislative processes.
Abiola further explained on TVC on Sunday that to resume from recess, the clerk of the House must issue a letter to the Speaker, and the Speaker must approve the reason for resumption. He went on to suggest that the House is officially set to resume on February 18, 2025, and argued that any legislative sessions held prior to that date were irregular. This added another layer of complexity to the situation, as the legality of any actions taken in Obasa’s absence could now be questioned.
This ongoing political saga, marked by Obasa’s refusal to acknowledge Meranda’s leadership, his absence from the Assembly, and the legal uncertainty surrounding the recess, continues to stir political tension in Lagos State. The coming weeks will likely determine whether Obasa’s position as a lawmaker remains tenable or if the political landscape in the House will shift permanently under Meranda’s leadership.