In a stunning turn of events, Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa was removed from office after he was impeached for alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office by fellow lawmakers.
The move comes amid reports of a power struggle with Governor Sanwo-Olu. Lawmakers wasted no time in appointing Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda as Mr Obasa’s replacement.
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Although Houses of Assembly are officially independent of the executive, in many states, the assemblies are controlled by state governors.
Mr Obasa has represented Agege Constituency 1 in the Assembly since 2003 and has been the speaker since 2015.
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Reasons
After the impeachment, Abiodun Tobun, joined by other legislators, spoke to the media. He explained that the impeachment was essential to maintain the ethical standards of the legislative house.
The lawmaker, representing Epe Constituency 1, said they decided to unanimously “change the leadership of the house” in line with the constitution because they “felt they have had enough” of Mr Obasa as speaker.
He said the development was a resolution agreed to by “all members of the parliament.” Mr Tobun further said all principal positions and standing committees have been dissolved.
Mr Obasa was not present when the lawmakers sat on Monday as he is believed to be out of the country.
More reasons
Monday’s plenary sitting, where Mr Obasa was removed, was presided over by Mrs Meranda, according to a video of the proceeding seen by PREMIUM TIMES.
Femi Saheed, representing Kosofe constituency, moved the motion for the removal of the speaker for alleged misappropriation of funds, poor leadership, and abuse of office.
He gave reasons why Mr 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.”
He accused Mr Obasa of abusing his position and its privileges.
Mr Saheed also described Mr Obasa’s leadership style as “authoritarian and undemocratic.”
The motion was unopposed, and all the lawmakers present supported it. The exact number of lawmakers present during Monday’s sitting could not be established as of the time of this report.
Alleged misappropriation of funds
Mr Obasa has faced many corruption allegations. Recently, a group accused him of spending N17 billion to construct a gate that leads to the assembly.
The Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition also sought an investigation of the claim.
Addressing the allegation in December, Mr Obasa described it as spurious and funny.
“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 spent N200 million on Thanksgiving that did not hold.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Lagos lawmakers sack Obasa as Speaker
“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.”
The Lagos Assembly, like the executive in the state, does not run a transparent government and keeps its finances from the public. Lagos is one of the states arguing at the Supreme Court that it is not bound by the Freedom of Information Act.
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