President Bola Tinubu has weighed in on the Lagos State House of Assembly leadership crisis, backing Mudashiru Obasa to remain as Speaker.
This decision came after a meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where Tinubu met with Obasa and 39 other lawmakers on Wednesday.
Persecondnews reports that Tinubu’s support for Obasa contradicts the recommendations of a panel he had established, which had suggested the Speaker’s resignation.
According to the resolutions reached at the meeting, Obasa was advised to carry his colleagues along in the scheme of things henceforth and to drop the lawsuit he had filed against them following his removal from office in January.
The panel, chaired by former Osun Governor and erstwhile National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, which includes ex-Ogun Governor Segun Osoba and the leadership of the Lagos Governance Advisory Council, had advised that Obasa should step down after being reinstated.
It also recommended that Ms. Mojisola Meranda should step down as Speaker to allow for Obasa’s return, with the understanding that he would also resign shortly after to pave way for a new Speaker from Lagos West to balance the state’s political structure.
Persecondnews recalls that on March 3, 2025, 49 days after Obasa’s impeachment, Meranda resigned and was re-elected as Deputy Speaker.
Obasa was then reinstated as Speaker in line with the agreement but instead of resigning, he adjourned plenary sine die (indefinitely).
At the end of the meeting, Obasa declined to speak with anxious State House correspondents but one of the lawmakers confirmed that it was agreed that Obasa would remain the speaker.
He said: “Obasa is staying and we have no choice but to obey the President. The meeting was more of a family meeting.
“It was more of a family matter. Mr President condemned his (Obasa’s) actions not to parley with us.
“He said that since we did not carry him along in the removal of Obasa and that it was only Obasa that came to report the matter to him, he had no choice but to support him.
“He also warned him that if there were any future complaints from any quarters, he would be gone. The President said he should let peace reign; and so based on that, we have accepted and instructed him to withdraw his lawsuit from the court.”
As the reconciled lawmakers emerged from the meeting about 4:30 pm, they started chorusing ‘’On your mandate, we shall stand,” a popular political song in support of President Tinubu.
Obasa had arrived at the Villa about 2:50 pm and was led separately to the President’s office, while his colleagues arrived earlier in two coaster buses that were driven through the forecourt route for the meeting.
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