The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, was impeached on Monday by his fellow lawmakers.
Following his removal, Mojisola Meranda, the representative of Apapa I, was elected as the new Speaker. She was sworn in immediately after her election, making history as the first female Speaker of the Lagos State legislature.
The lawmakers also dismissed the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, who was reportedly handpicked by Obasa during his tenure.
Addressing journalists on behalf of his colleagues after the impeachment, Abiodun Tobun, representing Epe Constituency 1, stated that the decision to remove Obasa was unanimous.
Tobun explained that the House had endured enough of Obasa’s leadership, adding that all principal positions and standing committees of the Assembly were dissolved as part of the restructuring.
“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,” Tobun said.
He added, “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.
“The House has resolved to work together to move the parliament to the next level. We cannot sit back and watch the parliament fall into ruin. We owe our constituencies and Lagos State the duty of restoring the sanctity and integrity of this House. That is why we have taken this action—to save our image and our state.”
However, Tobun did not disclose specific reasons for Obasa’s impeachment.
A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told NewsNGR that Obasa’s removal stemmed from alleged arrogance, reckless ambition, and disrespect toward Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his office.
The source further claimed that Obasa ignored interventions from key party leaders, including President Bola Tinubu, and showed disregard for the general leadership of the state.
“Arrogance, reckless ambition, disrespect to the person and the office of the Governor, disdain for peaceful reconciliation , contempt for the general leadership even when PBAT got involved,” the source stated.
Obasa had hinted at his gubernatorial ambition in November 2024, stating, “I have made it a personal task to mobilise people on the platform of Mandate, which has been misconstrued by some political detractors as being a selfish aspiration on the ground for me to become governor of the state. There is the need, however, to correct this wrong impression. My concern is about building our party, and whatever we do is mainly for this cause.
“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.”
Weeks before his impeachment, an anti-corruption group, the Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the Lagos Assembly leadership of spending N17 billion to construct a gate.
The group also alleged that the Assembly spent N200 million on its 22nd thanksgiving service.
Reacting to the allegations, Obasa denied the claims during a plenary session, describing them as politically motivated ahead of the 2027 elections.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” Obasa said.