As The LAGOS Assembly Speaker
Details Of The ABUJA Meeting
Until Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu hosted the Lagos Lawmakers to a meeting in Aso-Rock, last week, many had wondered on whose side he was.
Many had also wondered whether the President supported the move made months back by the Lagos Lawmakers to remove Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa as the Speaker when he was then away in America on vacation.
And when he returned all the drammatic moves he made to regain his position also came as a surprise. His daring moves, boldness and I don’t care postures showed that he had the backing of higher authority.
All of theae became clear last week, when the President met with Obasa and the Lawmakers and he called for a return to statusquo.
How did the President go about resolving the crisis?
President Bola Tinubu resolved the leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly, by backing the return of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker, despite an earlier recommendation for his resignation.
The amicable resolution, came after the meeting between Tinubu and all 40 lawmakers at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, last Wednesday.
The President’s decision contradicts the recommendations of a panel that was set up to mediate the crisis. The panel was made up of former Osun State Governor, Chief Bisi Akande, and former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba, along with the leadership of the Governance Advisory Council. And they had advised that Obasa should step down after being reinstated.
The panel initially recommended that Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda resign as Speaker to allow for Obasa’s return, with the understanding that he would also resign shortly after, making way for a new Speaker from Lagos West to balance the state’s political structure. On March 3, 2025, Meranda resigned and was re-elected as Deputy Speaker. Obasa was then reinstated as Speaker in line with that agreement.
But, contrary to the agreement, Obasa adjourned the Assembly indefinitely and refused to resign as expected. Recall that Obasa had been removed on January 13, 2025, by 35 lawmakers, who accused him of high-handedness, and authoritarian leadership among other allegations. Meranda replaced him but later resigned under pressure from party leaders.
City People gathered that the lawmakers arrived at the Presidential Villa in Abuja in a Coaster bus around 2pm, after which security officials ushered them into the President’s office complex.
Meranda arrived with her colleagues, while Obasa arrived separately at about 3pm.
Tinubu was said to have listened to the 2 warring groups and he brokered peace among them, asking members to work with Obasa to ensure stability in the Assembly and the state. During the meeting, lawmakers spoke out their grievances and the President resolved their fears. The President reportedly told Obasa to find a way of working amicably with his colleagues and ammend his ways in his relationship with them. The President also pleaded with the lawmakers to co-operate with him. According to their agreement, Obasa will stay on as Speaker, and all the lawmakers have agreed to work with him.
The lawmakers had a joint photo session with Mr. President after the meeting. Despite the resolution, some Lagos Stakeholders are still displeased that the original agreement was not obeyed. As a way out, we gathered that the President is to soon meet with all aggrieved parties to maintain unity.
Some stakeholders are displeased that Obasa reneged on their agreement with the Akande Panel. We gathered that Tinubu also directed the Speaker to withdraw all his lawsuits challenging his impeachment at the Lagos State High Court and the recent case, against Meranda and the lawmakers in court.
Justice Yetunde Pinheiro of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja had on Monday adjourned the hearing of a suit filed by Obasa to March 17, 2025.
