Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and replaced him with his Deputy, Lasbat Meranda.
Meranda, who took her oath of office immediately, would serve as the first female Speaker of the Lagos legislature.
The new Speaker, who represents Apapa State Constituency 1, was also a former Chief Whip of the House.
The lawmakers also elected Honourable Fatai Adebola as deputy speaker of the house of assembly.
Obasa’s removal, executed while he was away in the United States, was met with widespread jubilation among Assembly staff and observers on Monday, 13 January, 2025
Lasbat Meranda
Obasa, who is serving his third term as Speaker, was removed from his position over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Monday’s plenary sitting, where Obasa was removed, was presided over by Mrs Meranda, according to a viral video circulating on the social media.
Femi Saheed, representing Kosofe State Constituency II, moved the motion for the removal of the Speaker for alleged misappropriation of funds, poor leadership and abuse of office.
He cited at least five reasons why Obasa should be removed as the speaker of the Assembly.
“I hereby move that the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Right honourable Mudashiru Obasa be removed as speaker of this House for gross misconduct and poor leadership including highhandedness and disregard for honourable members of the House of Assembly,” he said.
The lawmaker also accused him of “intimidation and suppression of and inciting members against one another…mismanagement of funds and lack of time transparency in his management of the House of Assembly funds.”
The lawmaker, who accused Mr Obasa of abusing his position and its privileges, also described former speaker leadership style as “authoritarian and undemocratic.”
The motion was unopposed and all the lawmakers present supported it.
The 52-year-old lawmaker, who represents Agege state constituency I, became speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015.
The sacked of Obasa, thegazellenews.com gathered Speaking to journalists after Obasa’s impeachment on Monday, a member of the house said the decision was unanimous.
Addressing the media shortly after the impeachment, Hon. Abiodun Tobun, flanked by other lawmakers, described the decision as a necessary step to protect the integrity of the legislative body.
“Change is inevitable,” Tobun began solemnly. “The members of this House, in exercising our constitutional right to regulate our proceedings, unanimously decided that we had endured enough under the leadership of the Right Honourable Speaker. Today, we have resolved to replace him to safeguard the sanctity and reputation of this Assembly,” he said.
“It is just a change of baton. It is only death that is constant. Change is inevitable,” he said.
”The members of the parliament, today, have decided to change the leadership of the house. And the constitution makes it clear that the house has the power to regulate its proceedings.
“So, members of the house felt we have had enough of Rt. Honourable Mudashiru Obasa; and today, we have unanimously agreed that Rt. Honourable Mojisola Meranda becomes the speaker.
“It was a resolution concurred to by all members of the parliament and so be it. Honourable Fatai Adebola is deputy speaker of the house of assembly.
Recall that there have been controversies during Obasa’s leadership
In 2023, the assembly faced public backlash after rejecting 17 out of 39 commissioner nominees submitted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
At the time, Obasa denied any rift with the governor, although the issue prompted a meeting with the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
The ex speaker was at a centre of another controversy of allegedly spending ₦17 billion constructing a gate, an allegation he dismissed as “spurious and laughable.”
A group called the Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition had accused the Assembly of spending the amount on the gate and called for an investigation.
At the plenary, the former Speaker denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated.
“It is funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in a whole year for anyone to claim we spent ₦17 billion on a gate? They even alleged that we spent ₦200 million on the recently organised 22nd Thanksgiving service, which is untrue.
“We are aware that as elections in 2027 approach, such baseless claims will arise. It seems some people are scared, and I don’t know why. This House has not embarked on any such project. We are not reckless. Our Thanksgiving was held last Friday, attended by dignitaries from across the state,” he said.
More recently, the Obasa-led assembly proposed a bill to restructure local governance in the state.
The bill sought to replace the existing 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) created in 2003 by Bola Tinubu, former governor of the state, with democratically elected local governments, recognising only 20 LGAs as outlined in the 1999 Constitution.
However, in a statement seen as a counter, Cornelius Ojelabi, the APC chairman in Lagos, insisted that elections would still hold in the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in 2025.
