Lagos House of Assembly: Obasa returns as speaker – Ehi Braimah

The Lagos State House of Assembly has resolved what initially looked like an intractable political crisis. When plenary resumed on Monday, what played out what a reshuffling of cards followed by a game of musical chairs.
But it’s all good as peace returned to the house. Mojisola Meranda who was speaker for 49 days resigned her position while the erstwhile speaker, Mudashiru Obasa who was impeached from that position on January 13, was reinstated as speaker.

Credit must be given to the political leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their political sagacity and wisdom. How they were able to get the lawmakers back together under the same roof was a masterstroke in conflict resolution. I congratulate them for a job well done.

But here’s a backstory of the events which can be summarised as a fight among the lawmakers for relevance and leverage. What we witnessed since January 13 was the usual power dynamics displayed by our politicians. No one was amused except that, this time, Lagos State – a highly prized jewel and the centre of excellence – became the latest victim of the show of shame by politicians that Nigerians put up with on a regular basis.

From the National Assembly to the State Houses of Assembly, what can we really point to as a higher sense of purpose that drives the conversations and engagements among our lawmakers? After the shenanigans that we witnessed in Rivers State in what turned out to be a long-running soap opera before the Supreme Court judgments, it never occurred to me that Lagos State would be the next perfidious playground.

Without a doubt, Lagos State is the richest state in Nigeria with a GDP of about $34 billion, followed by Rivers State with $21 billion, according to available data. These two states can stand on their own without federal allocations from Abuja. It is understandable that there’s so much at stake in Lagos State, but do we need the political chicanery that occurred?

The bizarre behaviour of a majority of our political elite leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Politicians can align to protect their interests which is okay, but it should not be at the expense of Nigerians when our wellbeing should be their number one priority. What Nigerians want at all levels – from the local councils to the subnational governments and federal government – is exemplary leadership, and I do not think we are asking for too much.

According to John Maxwell, a world renowned leadership expert, “Being a great leader is all about having a genuine willingness and true commitment to lead others to achieve a common vision and goals through positive influence.”

Maxwell also says, “A leader knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” Great leaders craft a vision for progress and prosperity, and foster a buy-in culture from their followers.

Lagos State not only has the highest urban population in Nigeria, it is arguably the 6th largest economy in Africa arising mainly from its commercial and industrial activities. It explains why the internally generated revenue (IGR) reached a historic N1 trillion milestone last year.

The 40 members in the Lagos State House of Assembly have always worked together in peace and harmony over the years based on a leadership structure for Lagos that is superintended by the Governance Advisory Council (GAC).

An unexpected turn of events led to the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house of assembly, who staged a dramatic comeback last Thursday and presided over a plenary of only four members. Although Obasa declared that he had returned as speaker, the purported plenary was a joke taken too far.

Meanwhile, Obasa had instituted a legal challenge to what transpired on January 13 while he was away in the United States on vacation. At that time, the house of assembly was on recess. Politicians say when they have a problem, they will find a political solution. But when they don’t, you will see them washing their dirty linen in the public and they usually end up in court, keeping their Lordships busy and working overtime. Never have a dog in their fight.

When Obasa who had been speaker of the house for 10 years was impeached, 36 members voted in favour of the resolution, but Obasa faulted the process because the House Rules, according to him, requires the majority leader to inform the clerk to notify the members to resume.

But the clerk must obtain the prior approval of the speaker before the notice of resumption from recess can be circulated. Obasa said this process was breached, because, as it turned out, the plan to remove him was an “urgent matter” that had been hatched and consecrated by his political adversaries.

Truth be told, Obasa did not help his own case because of his alleged highhandedness, arrogance and overbearing nature. “As speaker,” some insiders alleged, “Obasa had become too powerful and disrespected some of his political associates.” A case in point was when the Lagos State 2025 budget was scheduled for presentation. Obasa kept Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State and members of GAC waiting for longer than necessary.

Previously, some commissioner-nominees from the governor were rejected by the Obasa-led house of assembly.

The impeachment process produced Mojisola Meranda as the new speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly with 35 members of the house rooting for her. Their aim was to effect a change in the power calculus in the house and reduce the influence of Obasa.

But this was just the beginning of the crisis which received multiple interventions by some elders like Chief Segun Osoba, a media titan and former governor of Ogun State, and Chief Bisi Akande, former governor of Osun State – two influential stalwarts of APC.

These elders mediated and called for truce from the warring parties which required a multifaceted approach, but politicians are good chess players and the end will always justify the means. Although the presidency was fingered as backing Obasa to instigate the crisis, it was not entirely true. The facts of the matter did not support the allegation. Insiders said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was unaware of the plot to remove Obasa, one of his foot soldiers and die-hard loyalist which many saw as an affront to the presidency.

There was no way Obasa was going to be humiliated out of office; he had to summon enough courage to push back in order to reverse the impeachment. It was indeed a night of long knives for him and his supporters.

It became imperative for a compromise solution to be worked out by the political leaders of the party where the speaker, Meranda, would resign, and Obasa reinstated as speaker – a necessary soft-landing for Obasa as part of the healing process. It became a case of no victor, no vanquished. The house adjourned sitting indefinitely after the new positions were announced on Monday.

Insiders said that when plenary resumes, Obasa who is representing Agege 1 Constituency in the Lagos West Senatorial District, would also step down as speaker, but his replacement will come from his Senatorial District. It is being speculated that the likely beneficiary of the position of speaker would be David Setonji, a civil engineer who is now the deputy chief whip of the house of assembly representing Badagry constituency. Both Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor and Meranda are from the Lagos Central Senatorial District.

This scenario is likely to pave the way for Obasa, all things being equal, to head to the Senate in 2027 in a game of political engineering and brinkmanship. The rally by Obasa and his supporters after he returned from his vacation was stage managed to test his popularity and make the point that he would not go down without a fight.

Obasa took the additional step of convening the plenary last Thursday, not to pre-empt the court hearing which was to hold the next day, but to escalate the matter based on the script which he held very close to his chest. Clearly, Obasa did not act alone while the drama lasted.

The situation in Rivers State and Lagos State are similar, but they are not exactly from the same playbook. That was why I was hopeful that the efforts of peacemakers Osoba and Akande – the bridge between Abuja and Lagos during the crisis – would yield the desired results within the shortest possible time. Their efforts paid off to the satisfaction of the members of the house and other stakeholders.

Obasa’s legal challenge has now been overtaken by events; it means the case would be withdrawn. When you are speaker of the Lagos house of assembly for 10 years, it should count for something.

It would have been difficult for Babajide Sanwo-Olu to function effectively with a divided house. How did he cope since January 13? That period must have been an awkward moment for him. By the way, the governor was accused in certain quarters of being responsible for the crisis because he wanted checkmate Obasa and teach him a political lesson. Could this have been true? Let us situate it to where it belongs: the realm of speculation.

Politicians would always have their differences, but context matters. State governors wield a lot of powers, and it perhaps explains the story of our democratic culture and political evolution since 1999 which manifests in power play in high places for their selfish interests

It is gratifying to note that peace has finally returned to the Lagos State House of Assembly. Prior to Maranda’s formal resignation, her colleagues praised and extolled her leadership qualities as they spoke, acknowledging the fact that she would be remembered as the first female speaker of the house.

The lawmakers, in the same convivial atmosphere that prevailed during the plenary, thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his mentorship, kindness, leadership and goodwill – including his fountain of knowledge and wisdom which they drink from.

Lagosians can now heave a sigh of relief with the resolution of the political crisis. Make Lagos good for all of us o!

Braimah is a public relations consultant and marketing strategist. He is also the publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times (https://ntm.ng) and Lagos Post (https://lagospost.ng), and can be