On Monday, January 13, 2025, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly hurrriedly impeached their Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa over alleged financial misappropriation and replaced him immediately with his erstwhile deputy, Mojisola Meranda.

The development ended Obasa’s nearly 10 years reign as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and made Meranda the first substantive female Speaker in Lagos history.

The lawmakers also removed the Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko, who was said to have been singlehandedly brought to the assembly by Obasa, making him a close confidant and ally.

The impeached speaker and Onafeko were reportedly behind the ban on journalists covering the activities of the assembly over two years ago.

However, while Obasa’s impeachment came as a surprise to Lagosians, political watchers and critics saw it coming, with some saying the Agege representative has committed many ‘sins’ against the powers that be in the state. 

Political missteps

Obasa’s longstanding feud with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his contemptuous treatment of the governor during the 2025 budget presentation in November 2024, marked the beginning of his political predicament.

In what appeared like a show of power, Obasa reportedly delayed the budget presentation with a trivial discussion about celebration of 2024 Men’s Day. And rather than taking a moment to acknowledge the governor when he eventually entered the legislative chamber for the presentation, he ordered the session to proceed uninterrupted. 

To worsen the matter, his unapologetic declarations about his 2027 ambition overshadowed the session as his feud with the governor became more pronounced.
In the views of political observers, Obasa’s outburst was interpreted to mean a direct response to the purported endorsement of Seyi Tinubu by some groups for the foremost political office in the state.

According to reports, following the show of power, President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), invited him to a meeting where he was sternly warned and chastised for disrespecting Sanwo-Olu and mismanaging the politics of the state because of his ambition.

It is believed that Obasa’s fate was decided at the meeting, as the President reportedly said he knew what to do on the matter. 

Financial misappropriation allegations

Obasa has recently been accused of spending N17 billion to fix the assembly complex gate.

In his reaction to claims by a group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, accusing the Assembly of spending the alleged amount on a gate, Obasa described the allegation as “fake news, spurious and funny.”

He said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over the 2027 polls which is still more than two years away.

The speaker further debunked the claim that the Assembly spent N200 million on its recently organised thanksgiving service for staff.

Reacting, Obasa said, “It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended N200 million on Thanksgiving which did not hold.

“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.”

Obasa has also been accused of financial mismanagement involving ₦44 billion allocated for vehicles and capital projects for over two years.

The allegation generated concerns and questions about transparency and accountability in the Assembly’s financial operations from critics, including lawmakers and residents.

According to available official records on the Lagos House of Assembly Budget Performance, in 2023, ₦30.19 billion was allocated for vehicles, including official cars, utility buses, and backup vehicles.

Another ₦13.33 billion was earmarked for vehicles in 2024.

However, investigations revealed that no vehicles were purchased in 2023, and only a small fraction of the 2024 allocation has been accounted for.

Questionable capital projects

Critics have also raised questions over alleged financial irregularities about how funds are allocated for projects.

Critics argued the ₦1.1 billion allocated for properties in 2023 was excessive, particularly when essential sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure are underfunded.

The ₦126 million allocated for properties in Abuja in the 2024 budget equally raised eyebrows, with critics questioning why the state’s funds are being spent outside its jurisdiction.

According to critics, these expenditures suggest a troubling pattern of fiscal mismanagement and misplaced priorities, fueling public anger.

Therefore, when the lawmakers suddenly moved for impeachment of Obasa yesterday, the smoothness and speed of the process suggest that there was a master plan, and not coincidence or on-the-spot decision.

Vanguard News