Despite Tinubu’s intervention, Obasa, Meranda, lawmakers’ fight deepens

Despite President Bola Tinubu’s intervention and the peace accord brokered last Wednesday, the leadership crisis within the Lagos State House of Assembly remains unresolved, exacerbating divisions among lawmakers and political stakeholders in the state.

The crisis began in January 2025, when Speaker Mudashiru Obasa was impeached by 35 out of 40 lawmakers, who accused him of financial mismanagement, authoritarianism, and abuse of office.

Obasa’s ousting was followed by the election of his former deputy, Mojisola Meranda, as the new Speaker, sparking a political uproar within the Assembly and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

The impeachment of Obasa, who had served as Speaker for years, led to a highly polarized situation with political loyalists split into two factions—those supporting Obasa and those backing Meranda.

The power struggle led to confusion and disarray, drawing in influential figures from across the state. Amid this turmoil, President Tinubu stepped in and established a high-powered peace committee comprising political heavyweights, including Chief Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba. This committee was tasked with brokering a solution to the crisis.

After negotiations, a peace agreement was reached, wherein Meranda resigned as Speaker, and Obasa was reinstated to the position.

However, the peace accord failed to provide a lasting resolution, as it was reportedly agreed that Obasa would serve temporarily and resign within 48 hours to pave the way for a new Speaker from Lagos West, in line with the demands of 34 disgruntled lawmakers.

Once Obasa was re-elected, however, he defied expectations and refused to resign immediately, which many lawmakers saw as a betrayal of the earlier deal.

The continuing tension in the Assembly led to an indefinite recess, with little progress on resolving the political deadlock. Compounding the conflict, a fresh controversy emerged over the purchase of N5 billion worth of vehicles for the lawmakers.

The controversy centers around allegations that Meranda, who briefly served as Speaker, approved the purchase of 39 vehicles, including Toyota Prado SUVs and Landcruisers, despite Obasa’s prior approval of N7 billion for a similar vehicle acquisition plan in December 2024.

Obasa, who had originally planned to source the vehicles from Dubai, contends that the decision to proceed with local suppliers was made without his authorization. His aides have claimed that the vehicles were purchased using funds from the Assembly’s accounts without his consent.

Meranda’s supporters have defended the purchase, stating that it was a cost-saving measure. According to them, she saved N2 billion by acquiring the vehicles locally, rather than importing them as Obasa had planned. They also claim that Meranda’s decision was in line with the Assembly’s needs and priorities.

However, Obasa remains furious, stating that the transaction was unauthorized and questioning its legitimacy. This dispute over the vehicle purchase has become a focal point of the ongoing leadership battle, with Obasa taking legal action against Meranda and other Assembly members over his impeachment and the vehicle controversy.

Meanwhile, some Lagos-based pro-indigenous groups, such as the De-Renaissance Patriots Foundation, have strongly criticized the decision to reinstate Obasa as Speaker.

These groups argue that Obasa’s return undermines the democratic will of the people of Lagos, especially those from divisions like Epe, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos, and Ikorodu, who had supported Meranda. They believe that the intervention of external figures like Akande and Osoba—who mediated the peace deal—was detrimental to the aspirations of Lagosians and amounted to a betrayal of democratic principles.

These groups have called for Obasa to step down, asserting that his leadership, backed by political forces outside the Assembly, constitutes an assault on democratic values.

Another group, Agenda for New Lagos, has raised concerns over a potential legal strategy aimed at reinstating Obasa permanently. The group claims that Obasa has already written a judgment with the assistance of sympathetic legal forces to invalidate the impeachment proceedings that removed him.

According to their claims, the Assembly members were led to believe that Obasa would step down, but instead, he used the legal system to further his cause. The group alleges that a court ruling is expected to endorse Obasa’s position and reverse his impeachment, allowing him to continue as Speaker while Meranda remains sidelined.

As the crisis deepens, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has remained largely silent, despite being an important figure in the political process. His lack of public commentary has added to the uncertainty surrounding the situation, with critics questioning whether he is actively engaging with the crisis or remaining passive for political reasons.

Various reports have stated that journalists have made repeated attempts to get Sanwo-Olu’s views on the matter, but he has yet to offer any definitive statements.

The latest round of negotiations, led by President Tinubu, was intended to calm the tensions within the Assembly. The two-hour meeting in Abuja between Tinubu and the feuding lawmakers resulted in a verbal agreement, with the President urging the lawmakers to bury their differences and work together for the good of the state.

Sources close to the meeting revealed that Tinubu reprimanded Obasa for his conduct and warned him not to alienate his colleagues further. The President also ordered Obasa to withdraw the legal charges he had filed against Meranda and to refrain from further legal escalation.

Tinubu reportedly made it clear that Obasa’s future as Speaker was in jeopardy unless he worked to resolve the issue.

Despite these efforts, there has been little indication that the Assembly crisis will end soon. With Obasa’s continued defiance and the increasing divisions between the two factions, the political future of the Lagos State House of Assembly remains uncertain.