Claim that Tinubu seeks to reinstate Obasa as speaker Is a political stunt by ex-speaker
Since the appointment of Rt. Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda as the first female Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, political tensions in the state have escalated, particularly following the impeachment of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
Meranda officially assumed office on Monday, January 27, 2025, after a controversial impeachment process in which Obasa was removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the House.
However, Obasa has refused to vacate the official Speaker’s residence, arguing that his impeachment was unlawful. Despite his resistance, lawmakers who led the impeachment, including Hon. Ogundipe Stephen Olukayode and Hon. Abiodun Tobun, insist that the process adhered to constitutional provisions.
Citing Chapter 5, Section 92 of the Nigerian Constitution, the lawmakers explained that a Speaker can be removed if two-thirds of the Assembly supports the decision.
In a surprising development, operatives of the Lagos Command of the Department of State Services (DSS) detained some lawmakers involved in the impeachment.
In response, House members visited the DSS office in Shangisha to reaffirm the legitimacy of Obasa’s removal. They condemned the detentions as an act of intimidation and vowed to stand by their decision.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, February 2, 2025, reports surfaced alleging that President Bola Tinubu, who is also the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had instructed Meranda and other principal officers to step down in order to reinstate Obasa.
The report also falsely claimed that First Lady Oluremi Tinubu had intervened on Obasa’s behalf, urging the President to act to prevent political instability ahead of the next elections.
An inside political source who spoke with PMExpress revealed, “When it seemed ploys and tactics from the ex-speaker are not yielding expected results, those behind the plots have resorted to sponsoring wild rumours and dropping names.
“The president is the leader of our party and it’s quick to drop his name around in the media to make Obasa seem like one who has a strong backing. All the antics from Obasa that you are seeing are all the ex-speaker clutching to the last straws of what remains of his political career.”
Another source close to the presidency waved off the report as not only a joke but a figment of the writer’s imagination or possibly sponsored by the Obasa camp.
The source said, “The people claiming the president wasn’t aware of the removal of Obasa are insulting the president and the security architecture of his administration. How can something like that take place and the DSS and other people handling intelligence will not know. These are ordinary civilian politicians, not military officers who can hold clandestine meetings. So, something of that magnitude happened in Asiwaju’s Lagos and he didn’t know?”
Continuing, the source revealed that the narrative that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also serves as the leader of the All Progressive Congress and linking the distinguished first lady, Oluremi Tinubu, to the mix is a pure lie.
The source added, “How can anyone think he wasn’t aware and so he is unhappy with the lawmakers? He had received them in the villa after they were all elected, the same way the governor had received them. If Asiwaju didn’t want it to happen, he would have nipped the plan in the bud and stopped them in their tracks. I insist, something of that political magnitude could not have happened and he would be in the dark.”
