Let us start with the similarities of the two situations before coming to the genesis, or the beginning of the voyage.
In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, twenty-seven members of the State House of Assembly saw it, beautiful enough, to defect from the People Democratic Party [PDP] – a Political Party under which they were elected to office as Honourable Members of the State Assembly.
And the defectors did what they did glamorously, publicly and under a very widely covered showmanship; which was appropriately reported by both the Nigerian and International Press.
Besides the deliberately orchestrated ceremony, the leadership of the opposing Political Party in Rivers State – the All Progressive Congress [APC], represented by the State Chairman; Tony Okocha, was at hand to receive the defectors, and so made a speech of welcoming the twenty-seven [defectors] from the PDP into the APC
With the defection ceremony completely concluded, the PDP was left with only Four members in the Rivers State House of Assembly. It was the Four leftover of the State House of Assembly that the State Governor – Amaopusenibo Siminalaye Fubara, have been dealing with, in all legislative matters, till date.
President Bola Tinubu knew this historical perspective before he brought his wizardry “political solution” to calm nerves down, between his godson – the man that gave him the presidential winning political ticket from Rivers State; former Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, and the incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Siminalaye Fubara, in Abuja.
The takeaway cache with which Bola Tinubu – the President, brought political solution to Rivers State was FOUR – 1,2,3,4, legislative members.
Let us turn away from Rivers State and come down to Lagos State and anchor in its capital city – better known as Lagos, a city credited with Excellence.
Permit me to place it on record that the acronym of EXCELLENCE given to Lagos did not come during Bola Tinubu time as Governor.
No, the city earned that alias from the days of Brigadier General Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson; Military Governor of the State from May 1967 to July 1975. This is not to say that Ahmed Bola Tinubu, as governor of Lagos State did not perform excellently – yes, he did and added his touch to the ever-glowing and ever-glorious great Masterplan, that started from General Johnson, through that great Journalist of his time; Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, before Bola Tinubu’s arrival.
Can we now settle down to look at the Four-man legislative council solution that President Bola Tinubu brought to Lagos from Rivers?
Back to Lagos State – where Bola Ahmed Tinubu had remained the political Lord Mayor of the Jungle, or the Alfa and Omega, since 1999, when he became the governor of the State, things have never fallen out of his personalised arrangement. He remains the godfather of Lagosian, and the people remain dedicated to him. He remains the Supreme Commander of his people.
But by December 2024, even as a sitting president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he came home on holiday – at his sprawling Bourdillon house. There, he met with some leaders of his Political Party, the APC, the State Governor; Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Speaker of the State House of Assembly; Mudashiru Obasa, and nearly all members of the Octopus-like Institution, Governance Advisory Council [GAC] – an institution created by Bola Tinubu in 1999 that simplified his hold on power in Lagos State.
The topic of deliberation on that day in question, as we were told, was to look into the allegation levelled against the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, as relates to his arrogant disposition against the Governor of the State, and some members of the GAC, high handedness cum unruly actions against his colleagues in the House of Assembly, and allegations of corruption and fraud on his management of the House’s budget.
The Nigerian public did not know the exact outcome of that “reconciliation gathering”, except to accept that “their political godfather reconciled them”. Signs that the so-called “reconciliation” did not go well started manifestation on January 13, 2025, a few days after the Bourdillon gathering, as Speaker Obasa was impeached by 36 members of the State House of Assembly – a clear majority out of the 40-member, and the Deputy Speaker – Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, was elected Speaker.
After a few days of silence from the ousted Speaker, and the fortification of the newly elected first female Speaker in Lagos State; with her Executive paying a solidarity visit to the GAC, and the State’s Governor, whispers came in very clearly that Bola Ahmed Tinubu consent was not sort before removing Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker.
Obasa fought his way back, with galaxy of Security outfit, on a day that Police Security assigned to Mojisola Meranda [the newly elected Speaker] was withdrawn by the Police Authority. On his return journey however, “former Speaker Obasa, though announced that “I have returned to take over the leadership of the House”, he addressed only 4 legislators of the House as 36 members distanced themselves from him.
And this is where the similarity between River State and Lagos State anchored. In Rivers State, the lacuna created by political exigency left 4 legislators in the House of Assembly, while in Lagos State, another lacuna of political exigency left 4 legislators in the State House of Assembly for a ravaging Speaker – allegedly said to have gained President Bola Tinubu’s backing,
There are questions on the position, or place of President Tinubu, in this political fracas – this is something we must dig out. Other most important questions we must find answers to are these:
- Has an end come to the Bola Tinubu’s totalitarian hold of power in Lagos State?
- Who are these “Political Hawks” daring the absolutistic Mayor of the Lagos Jungle?
- Could it be that as the Asiwaju of Yoruba land and Jagaban of Borgu moved up the ladder in conquering and acquiring Nigeria, the Lagos vibrant politicians – most of whom are not indigenous personae dramatis of Lagos State, have started rewriting the history of Lagos already?
- Can we identify these hustler-politicians by names?
- If Mudashiru Obasa regains the Lagos State House of Assembly’s Speakership back, what revelation about the Tinubu’s oligarchy would that be bringing to the front burner of the Nigerian historical template?
- Same question holds for continuity, or otherwise, of Mojisola Meranda.
- Where blows the wind of Lagos State political setting henceforth, from here?
We are not finished with this trajectory yet, but this court must adjourn for the exigency of other involving matters from Abuja. C.O.U.R.T!
Godwin Etakibuebu; a Veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos.
You can also listen to this author [Godwin Etakibuebu] every Monday; 9:30 – 11am on Lagos Talk 91.3 FM live, in a weekly review of topical issues, presented by The News Guru [TNG].