The lawmaker representing Agege Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, says he has resumed as the speaker of the 40-member legislative assembly.
“Obasa is the speaker,” he told reporters on Thursday afternoon on the premises of the House.
Asked whether he has been reinstated as speaker, Obasa said, “I’ve never been removed. Impeachment or removal is democratic and constitutional but in doing that, you must follow the due process. I am not against that. If I do that, then I am not democratic.”
Meanwhile, a group of lawmakers loyal to the lawmaker, who represents Apapa Constituency I, Mojisola Meranda, rejected Obasa, insisting that Meranda remained the speaker.
On Thursday, 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. Thursday’s appearance was Obasa’s first in the Assembly since his removal as Lagos speaker on Monday, January 13, 2025.
In a show of solidarity, his supporters gathered at the entrance gate of the Assembly Complex, chanting and cheering on the lawmaker who represents Agege Constituency I in the 40-member House.
Back in January, Obasa was removed as Lagos speaker when more than two-thirds of the house voted him out over alleged misconduct and sundry offences.
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.
Obasa 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.
On Saturday, January 25, 2025, Obasa 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.