Lagos Assembly: Tinubu engages Akande, Osoba, others on peace mission

As part of last-minute efforts to resolve the crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly, President Bola Tinubu has drafted bigwigs in the All Progressives Congress to wade into the matter.

The PUNCH reports that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, former governors of Osun, Ogun and Lagos, namely Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Akinwunmi Ambode, respectively, were at the Governor’s Lodge in Marina, Lagos, for a marathon meeting on Sunday.

All members of the Lagos Governance Advisory Council, the present Lagos chairman of the APC, Cornelius Ojelabi, and the former state chairman of the party, Tunde Balogun, were also at the meeting.

The PUNCH can confirm that as of Sunday evening, the meeting was still holding.

After the meeting, the party chieftains are expected to call all the Lagos lawmakers for another round of meeting.

A source privy to the development told The PUNCH that the meeting was aimed at resolving the speakership tussle between ousted Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and current Speaker Mojisola Meranda.

The source disclosed that while some lawmakers want Obasa to return as Speaker of the House, a faction does not want his return.

“The meeting is currently holding as we speak. The party chieftains will call the lawmakers for another round of meeting. It is all in a bid to resolve the crisis.

“Obasa wants to return as Speaker of the House to spend a little time before he finally resigns by himself. However, some lawmakers believe that once he returns to the seat, it will be hard to get him to leave the position.

“So President Tinubu was fed up with the prolonged crisis and he drafted the party bigwigs to Lagos to find a way out,” the source said.

The PUNCH reports the development comes following the inability of the GAC members to resolve the crisis which began on January 13 2025 when about 36 lawmakers removed Obasa as Speaker and replaced him with Meranda, who was then a Deputy Speaker.

Obasa, who has since faulted his removal, dragged the Assembly and the new Speaker, Meranda, before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, claiming that the lawmakers were wrong to have removed him when the Assembly was in recess.

Meranda may step down for Setonji

The PUNCH has gathered that the intervention of the party’s heavyweights intervention may see Meranda stepping down to allow Setonji David from Badagry to assume the position.

A Presidency source who spoke to The PUNCH on the condition of anonymity said, “Well, it is true. There have been consultations, and it appears that she will step down.”

Another source who asked not to be named, told our correspondent that President Tinubu advised party leaders to reach an amicable solution that balances representation.

The recommendation was to ensure fair representation, as Lagos West currently lacks a principal position in the state’s leadership.

“The President believes Lagos West should not be sidelined, and he is in support of a solution that accommodates all interests,” the source said.

Another source in the Assembly who spoke with our correspondent on Sunday said there was pressure on Meranda to resign.

The source said the lawmakers had been holding meetings over the matter.

The source said, “There has been pressure on Meranda to resign. She was meant to read out her resignation last week at the House but the lawmakers did not agree with her. So there have been meetings over this.

“The letter that was circulating last week suggesting she had resigned was the one she was meant to read out. She is being pressured from Abuja to resign.”

Last week, Meranda’s aide, Segun Ajiboye, denied that his principal was resigning, following circulating reports.

A Facebook user, identified as Ayoade Adeniyi,  in a post on Sunday, stated that the last seemed not to have been heard about the Lagos Speakership tussle.

In a post titled “From my inbox,” Adeniyi wrote, “Olori Oko’ has given direct order that the lady should step down. All the Honourable members were in Lagos House, Marina with the Governor on February 22, 2025.

“We don’t know yet who he has directed should be made the Speaker.”

According to him, bringing back Obasa “is what could lead to serious revolt” but the lawmakers could work with another person.

“Little cowries here and there ‘lo maa je.’ The yesterday (Saturday) meeting was presided over by Baba Bisi Akande and Aremo Segun Osoba. No single GAC member in attendance. They are continuing today (Sunday). Meanwhile, they have told the lawmakers that Obasa isn’t coming back.”

Court sacks pro-Meranda clerk

In another development, the National Industrial Court sitting in Lagos has sacked the acting Clerk of the House, Ottun Babatunde, who was appointed by Meranda.

 The court ordered the reinstatement of the former clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko.

The order follows an ex parte application to the court made by Onafeko through his counsel, Yusuf Nurudeen, in a case he filed against the Lagos State Government, Lagos State Civil Service Commission, Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission, the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Attorney-General of Lagos State and Babatunde.

Onafeko was the Clerk of the House before January 13 when Obasa was removed as Speaker.

The claimant in the suit marked: NICN/LA/23/2025 sought an interim injunction restraining the six defendants from parading any individual including Babatunde as the clerk pending the hearing of the motion on notice for Interlocutory injunction already filed in the suit.

Granting the application, Justice M. N. Esowe in an ex parte order directed that Babatunde should cease to parade himself as Clerk.

“That both parties shall maintain the peace and status quo ante bellum until the motion on notice is heard and determined,” Esowe ordered.

The judge slated the hearing of the motion on notice for March 3, 2024.

The PUNCH reports that the House on February 12 adjourned its sitting indefinitely after the presence of officials of the Department of State Services created tension at the assembly and sparked controversy.

The DSS recently arrested three workers of the House for allegedly attacking its personnel on February 17.

Some individuals had manhandled DSS personnel during the drama that ensued at the assembly on the said day.

The Assembly, in a letter dated February 14, 2025, and signed by the acting clerk, A. T. B. Ottun had invited the DSS to provide more security at the assembly.

According to the letter with reference LSHA/FAD/0/7554/323 the DSS was instructed to ensure strict access to the facility from February 15 till further notice.

A source in the DSS  said, “Some of our personnel deployed to the Lagos House of Assembly were attacked on Monday (February 17). Our personnel were there because we were invited to provide security there. After extensive analysis of CCTV footage, we were able to clearly identify three of the suspects.

“The suspects, Ibrahim Olanrewaju Abdulkareem, a photographer and two others attached to the Assembly’s Seargent at Arms, Adetu Adekunle Samsudeen and Adetola Oluwatosin Fatimoh, a lady, were consequently tracked and arrested during the week in different parts of Lagos.”

The source said the suspects would be charged to court.

A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, however, said the suspects had been released on bail.

“I can confirm that the three assembly workers who were arrested by DSS have been released on bail,” he told The PUNCH.