In a shocking turn of events, Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, returned to the Assembly on Thursday, sparking widespread controversy.
Obasa, who was removed as Speaker by 36 lawmakers on January 13, 2025, arrived at the Assembly complex accompanied by security officials and made his way into the Speaker’s Office.
The move has left many political stakeholders and the public in shock, as it appears to have thrown the House into further confusion.
The development has also raised questions about the effectiveness of the intervention by key chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including former governors of Osun and Ogun states, Chief Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba.
The mediating panel, drafted by President Bola Tinubu, had recommended the resignation of Obasa and Mojisola Meranda, the current Speaker, to pave the way for another lawmaker from Lagos West Senatorial District to emerge as Speaker.
However, the sudden withdrawal of security officials attached to Meranda and the restoration of Obasa’s security escorts have raised eyebrows.
The Lagos State Police Command has stated that Obasa had applied for security protection due to alleged threats to his life, and that the withdrawal of Meranda’s security officials was due to a personnel audit.
The command has maintained its neutrality in the ongoing developments, emphasizing its commitment to maintaining law and order.
The 36 lawmakers who removed Obasa as Speaker have expressed their displeasure at the development, chanting “We hereby reject Obasa, we reject him in totality!” Obasa, however, has insisted that he remains the Speaker, stating that his removal was undemocratic and unconstitutional.
The crisis has also drawn reactions from other political stakeholders, including the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, who has berated President Tinubu over the crisis, describing it as a return to the era of military dictatorship.
The situation remains fluid, with the legal team of Obasa indicating their readiness to proceed to court to challenge his removal as Speaker. The Lagos State House of Assembly has been embroiled in a leadership crisis since Obasa’s removal, with Meranda emerging as the new Speaker.