Obasa, It’s Time To Go Home – Ademola Adeyemi

Gradually, the dust seems to be settling on the political crisis that has engulfed the Lagos State House of Assembly in the past few weeks.
With the resignation of Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda as the Speaker and her eventual swearing-in as the Deputy Speaker, what has been making the round on social media as rumor finally has become a reality.

After Meranda’s resignation, Obasa was sworn in, reclaiming the position he previously held before his removal. His reinstatement comes after Meranda stepped down, citing the need to resolve the leadership crisis within the House.

Announcing her decision during a plenary session, Meranda described her resignation as a “personal sacrifice towards resolving this gravely, intangible leadership crisis rocking this assembly of patriots.”

She said, “It is with every sense of responsibility that I hereby give you notice of my decision to resign as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, with effect from today, 3rd March 2025. I did not arrive at this decision lightly. Indeed, I took into careful consideration of all the primary and intricate integral circumstances that are connected with my election as Speaker on the 13th of January, 2025.

“On the one hand, I am in recent present political turmoil, which is threatening the cohesion of this Honourable House. On the other hand, we are the representatives of the good people of Lagos, with a mandate to protect our democracy and ensure good governance. I am a good student of political history, and in this regard, I know that this is a point at which, as your leader, I have to make a selfless sacrifice to resign to protect the peace of the situation.”

She also expressed appreciation for the support she received as the first female Speaker of the Lagos Assembly as she said, “With your support, I made history as the first female Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and I value and cherish your solidarity”
Meranda continued, “I am sincerely grateful to each of you for your support and collaboration during my short but very interesting tenure. I leave this position as the Rt Hon Speaker of this House, and I shall continue to serve my good people of Apapa Constitution I in particular, and our team in Lagos in general. Thank you for finding me worthy to lead this distinguished and honorable assembly.

“I am not a quitter. However, I took the above decision to save this legislative institution from further unnecessary conflict and embarrassment. Accordingly, and in deference to our esteemed political leaders, I have agreed to yet again make a personal sacrifice by stepping down as the Speaker of this great Assembly. Dear distinguished and gallant Honourable members of this 10th assembly, occasionally, we are confronted with esteemed overwhelming challenges in conflict management, but as responsible leaders, we will not bring down this legislative house, collectively built in pursuit of justice and fairness.”

Before her resignation, lawmakers commended Meranda’s legislative acumen and diligence during her brief tenure.

Following her announcement, she was reinstated as Deputy Speaker, a position she previously held before Obasa’s removal.

This eventual turn of events did not come as a surprise to keen watchers of the State’s political landscape. In the past few days, political observers have predicted an imminent political settlement that would see the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa returned, albeit for a very short time, as the Speaker.

In the arrangement, it was reported that after his reinstatement, Obasa was to also put up his resignation letter within 24 hours to pave the way for a new Speaker who would also come from Lagos West, Obasa’s constituency.

According to analysts, the arrangement was principally to give Obasa a political soft-landing that would take off him the impeachment albatross. The idea, according to those privy to the details of the political settlement, was to save the former Speaker from a bleak political future.

Many have argued that he was given the soft landing because of his closeness to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is also the political leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State. Feelers have it that the President was not happy that he was sidelined by the lawmakers in the event leading to Obasa’s impeachment.

Though the President is allegedly not particularly keen about Obasa’s regaining the Speakership, he was not willing to have him condemned to a miserable political future, considering their long-term political association. In politics, especially in Nigeria, loyalty is an invaluable currency.

So, what played out a few hours ago at the Lagos State House of Assembly was not about ensuring Obasa reclaim the Speakership. Rather, it was about saving his hitherto blighted political future as occasioned by the impeachment.

For Rt. Hon Meranda and the gallant 38 members of the House of Assembly who stood by her through it all, it was the hard line that they had to take for the entrenchment of party supremacy. Since all of them were, first and foremost, selected and elected through a process supervised by the party they had to bow to the decisions agreed upon by the party leaders in settling the protracted crisis.

The argument in support of this stance is that the lawmakers have no absolute power to remove and install their leaders.
Nobody can become a member of the House of Assembly unless sponsored by a political party and the sponsors are the inspectors.

Now that Meranda and her loyal lawmakers have bowed to the dictates of the party, it is time for Obasa to also take the same honorable course by tendering his resignation as reportedly agreed with the party elders. Anything other than this will be treacherous, dishonorable, disrespectful and, to say the least, another invitation to anarchy.

From the tone of all the lawmakers who spoke at plenary during Meranda’s resignation and Obasa’s second coming, it was very clear that the lawmakers would have wished for Madam Speaker to continue. It was obvious they took the painful decision to accept her resignation as a show of respect to President Tinubu and the party elders who have been at the forefront of effecting a lasting political solution to the lingering crisis. Some of them betrayed emotion by openly weeping. That was how painful the whole thing was to them. But the party must have its way.

They all spoke highly of the few periods that Meranda was in the saddle as Speaker. They admired her leadership style. They loved to work with her, but they had to bow to party supremacy.

It would, therefore, be shameful and ignominious for Obasa to want to do anything to take advantage of the current political situation at the House. To do that would be to go back to the trenches. It is quite clear majority of his colleagues are not ready to have him as Speaker again. They had indicated this at every given opportunity. To force himself on them would be tantamount to rubbing salt on injury.

Lagos is too important in President Tinubu’s economic re-engineering to be thrown into needless political turmoil. If, indeed, he is to earn the appellation of the Right Honourable affixed to his name, the most honorable thing for Obasa to do is to follow to the letter the spirit of the political settlement by also tendering his resignation. That is the only path to a lasting peace.

The ambition of a single man must not be allowed to throw the State into pointless political catastrophe. This year marks the 10th year that Obasa has been Speaker of the House. His colleagues seem to have had enough of him. Thus, nothing must be done overtly or covertly to force him on his colleagues.
The time to go is now. Go, Obasa, go!

*Adeyemi, a social commentator, lives in Alimoso, Lagos.