Tag: MUDASHIRU OBASA

Removed Speaker Mudashiru Obasa (Agege Constituency 1) of the Lagos State House of Assembly may fail to get back his exalted office, yet, he’s succeeded in forcing an unplanned shift of the House plenary indefinitely, thus sowing tension and confusion among the lawmakers, and splitting the close-knit Governance Advisory Council (GAC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

This comes after new Speaker Mojisola Meranda (Apapa Constituency 1) formally assumed office on Monday, January 27, 2025, amid majority of the lawmakers chanting: “Madam, continue your work; your work is appealing to us. You are the Speaker, you are the Speaker, you are the Speaker. Speak for Lagos. Continue with your work.”

With Obasa reportedly absent from the Assembly, the lawmakers posed for photographs with Meranda, and accompanied her to the Speaker’s office, “where intense prayers were offered as she settled into her new role.” The plenary was then postponed, “to douse tension in the state.”

The lawmakers’ public rallying for Meranda was a “kick in the groin” for Obasa, whose fate appears sealed since losing power on Monday, January 13, and returning from the United States of America to insist that he remains the Speaker until due process is observed in his removal, in line with the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

Welcomed back to town on Saturday, January 25, by hundreds of jubilant supporters at the official residence of the Lagos Speaker in the GRA, Ikeja, Obasa slammed his ouster, in absentia, as unconstitutional.

In an “A luta continua; vitória é certa” (“The struggle continues; victory is certain”)-like mood, Obasa told his supporters: “I’m still the Speaker until the right thing has been done,” and the crowd cheered.

“I am not afraid of being removed. After all, it is not my father’s chieftaincy title. I am representing my people and they have returned me six times. If you want to do anything (remove him), do it well.”

Obasa insinuated that were he present in the Assembly, the lawmakers wouldn’t succeed in removing him as Speaker. He queried: “They did the removal all because I was out of the country. Why did they have to break the chamber and use a fake mace to carry out the removal?

“If they say they don’t want me anymore, that’s fine, but let them follow due process. I still believe I am the Speaker until the right procedure is followed. Lagos is a special place, we cannot denigrate the state.”

Obasa held his ground, as he addressed his 2027 governorship ambition he tactically broached when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented the 2025 Budget proposals to the House, thus sparking the instant flurry of activities in the Lagos polity.

Saying, “Having ambition to become a governor is not a sin,” Obasa declared: “However, I said on the floor of the House, when the budget was presented, that I had no thoughts of governorship. But that does not mean I am not qualified or that I lack experience; I still maintain that (stand).”

Citing a breach of fair hearing, Obasa claimed he wasn’t given a chance to respond to the charges the House leveled against him, and challenged his colleagues to substantiate the allegations, and afford him a chance to respond.

“They (lawmakers) should not discredit an innocent person (Obasa); they should prove their allegations against me. The Lagos State House of Assembly is above the common standard of excellence. I believe in the image of our institution; we must not destroy it and I will never partake in it’s destruction.”

Obasa also criticised the Police for “conniving with the lawmakers” to oust him from power, alleging that besides the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Olawale Ishola, “leading police officers to invade the Assembly,” over 200 policemen allegedly invaded his private residence in Agege, blocked the gate, and prevented members of his family from going out of the house.

Obasa referenced other Presiding Officers of the Lagos Assembly removed without deployment of the police. “When former Speaker, Rt Hon. Jokotola Pelumi, was removed, he was in the Assembly and we did not invite policemen. When my sister, former Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, was removed, we did not invite the police,” Obasa said.

Even with his eyes red, Obasa appreciated members of the GAC and Governor Sanwo-Olu, “who is my brother,” and who “always calls me his younger brother,” and thanked President Tinubu, “who will always be my father.”

Obasa said he’d been with Tinubu from his days in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) under which Tinubu’s elected Senator in the Third Republic, noting that he never expected to be Speaker in 2015, but “Tinubu supported me even when everyone was against me.”

Tinubu’s the acclaimed head of the shadowy and powerful GAC of the Lagos APC, which acts as a clearing house for the party affairs, including elective and appointive positions. But there appears a split in the GAC, as two of its members have criticised Obasa’s ouster as illegal.

As reported by The Nation on January 30, a member, Chief M.A. Taiwo, faulted the process of Obasa’s removal, noting that, “The act of the lawmakers is illegal. It shows total disregard and clear disrespect for leadership. The GAC is split over the matter, but we will all defer to our leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to resolve the crisis.”

Another GAC member, former Senator Anthony Adefuye, described the removal as illegal, stating, “What he (Obasa) is saying is that he was illegally removed, and the procedure was faulty. I agree with him.”

Meanwhile, former Lagos Speaker and ex-Minister of State for Health, and Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Olorunnibe Mamora, faults Obasa’s claim that his removal flouts the 1999 Constitution, saying that only the removal of President, Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor is specified therein, and the procedure to effect the removal.

In an interview with Vanguard on January 25, Mamora, who’s Speaker from 1999 to 2003, and Senator from 2003 to 2011, said Obasa’s removal was constitutional, clarifying that though impeachment and removal are used inter-changeably, the removal of Principal Officers of the Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly requires only the support of two-thirds of members to succeed.

Mamora’s words: “Let me correct the impression. I have heard people say this in media discourse. If you look at the Constitution, you would not find impeachment. What you find is removal. There is a difference between removal and impeachment.

“Impeachment connotes bringing allegations of wrong doing formally, and presenting (them) before an offending public officer. But allegation does not necessarily amount to guilt. It only says that these are the allegations that have been brought formally, which the officer has to respond to; that is impeachment.

Recalling how former United States President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House but the conviction was defeated in the Senate over his sex affair with Monica Lewinsky, Mamora explains that allegations brought through impeachment may not necessarily lead to removal, adding, “If you are now convicted on the basis of allegations and a kind of sentence is passed, then it may lead to removal.”

“It (Constitution) does not even say you should explain. It is just a simple process, because the Speaker is just first among equals. That is why the process for removal of the Speaker or Senate President is different from the removal of Mr. Governor, Deputy Governor or President, or Vice President,” Mamora says.

“Because, in the case of the Governor, it is the whole state that voted to put him in office; that is why the procedure for his or her removal is a complex process. The allegations must be supported by one-third to be brought and served notice on the holder of the office, wait for his or her response, set up a panel, report comes back to the House and the House comes with a two-third majority of the members. So, you see it’s a complex process.

“The removal of a Speaker in the House of Assembly or the National Assembly Speaker or Senate President is simple. Once members bring a motion that is supported by two-thirds of members, then the Speaker vacates the seat; that’s all.”

“The Constitution does not even say you should state the allegations. It only says if you have the support of not less than two-thirds majority of the members, in support of the motion for the removal of the Speaker, and the Speaker vacates. It does not even say you should confront him with the allegations.

“Obasa was impeached and removed because there was presentation of allegations against him. And it was on the basis of the allegations that the House decided to remove him.”

Mamora adds: “We need to get it clear. What we do here is that we use the words, impeachment and removal, inter-changeably, as (if) they are the same. I need to correct that.

“There could be impeachment without removal. The Constitution, under Section 92, sub- section two or thereabout, talks of removal; that the Speaker shall vacate if a motion is presented, supported by two-thirds of members. That’s all.

“So, allegations were presented against Obasa and on that basis, the members went ahead to remove him in consonance with the Section 92 of the Constitution. So, the removal of Obasa is constitutional.”

Presented with a seeming fait accompli, shouldn’t Obasa rethink and retool his strategy, and give peace a chance in the Assembly and entire Lagos State? This poser comes on the back of a statement by majority of the House members on January 27, decrying Obasa’s alleged sabre-rattling, capable of heating up the polity.

Vowing to stand by Meranda as the new Speaker, a statement by Ogundipe Olukayode (Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II), on behalf of members, urged Obasa to shelve his bellicose stance and toe the path of “Peace we want in Lagos and Peace we will achieve.”

The statement partly reads: “It is imperative to clarify that over 2/3 of the members of the Lagos State House of Assembly are solidly united behind the new Speaker, Rt Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, therefore we stood by the decision taken on the 13th of January where Rt Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa was impeached and we shall defend our positions to the latter.

“The position of the House remains the same and nothing has changed. The position being canvassed by former Speaker, Rt Hon. Obasa, is uncalled for and unparliamentary.

“The majority of members elected Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker for the 10th Assembly and we also, at the said Plenary, took the majority decision to remove him and stand by the new Speaker. So, nothing has changed.

“All members were elected from their various constituencies across the state and we all have the inalienable rights under the necessary Statutory orders to remove their Principal Officers, including the Speaker.

“I (we) therefore appeal to the former Speaker to toe the line of peace and harmony as being followed by others, as the current intransigent posture will heat up the polity and not augur well. Any attempt to heat up the polity will be resisted by the majority of distinguished members who unanimously elected Rt Hon. Meranda,” the statement said.

Will Obasa heed this timely warning, even if he wants to bid for Governor and square up against Seyi Tinubu, who remains taciturn about his alleged aspiration till date? Let Obasa’s political case not be like the dog’s which refused to listen to its master’s whistle! (END)

 

Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. Can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon. Tel: 08033078357.

In the first installment of this header on Monday, January 20, 2025, several reasons were adduced to establish that there’s no nexus between Seyi Tinubu’s alleged aspiration for the 2027 Governorship of Lagos State, and the January 13 impeachment of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudasiru Obasa, over his reported ambition for the same position of Governor.

First, the 32 members of the Assembly, who voice-voted unanimously to replace Obasa (Agege Constituency 1) with erstwhile Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda (Apapa Constituency 1), categorically blamed him for sundry legislative misbehaviours, managerial lapses and finacial infractions.

These include: highhandedness; gross misconduct; poor leadership; lack of commitment to legislative business; lack of regard for fellow lawmakers; intimidation; suppression of legislative staff; financial impropriety; misappropriation of funds; lack of transparency; gross abuse of office and privileges; and authoritarianism.

Second, with Obasa said to’ve faced several allegations of corruption in the course of his Speakership, it’s apt to ask quintet questions: One, was there a Seyi governorship aspiration on October 8, 2020, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited and grilled Obasa for alleged “offences of conspiracy, diversion of funds, abuse of office and money laundering,” for which the anti-graft agency obtained a court order, freezing Obasa’s three accounts in Standard Chartered Bank?

Earlier on September 15, 2020, Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos, via an ex-parte order, placed a ‘lien/Post No Debit’ on the three accounts viz: (US Dollars) 0001852063; (Current) 0001852056; and (Saving) 5002309624, which order – upon an application by the EFCC to withdraw the charges without public explanation – Justice Oweibo discharged in the chamber on August 16, 2023, and unfreeze the accounts.

Two, was there a Seyi bid for Governor in 2020 when Obasa appeared before the Lagos Assembly panel of enquiry on corruption allegations, including an N80m estacode, which he admitted was approved for the “training of the wives of 20 lawmakers in Dubai”?

As reported by PUNCH on October 8, 2020, Obasa explained: “We gave N4m to each of the participants for air tickets, hotels, feedings and local travel. Air ticket to Dubai alone costs about N2m. Some of these allegations were raised for a crusade to get the Speaker out of office.

“The House of Assembly is above common standard of excellence and we have to train people (including wives of lawmakers?), and this comes at a cost. Learning is not cheap and I have never collected N80m for estacode at a go before.” The House committee subsequently cleared Obasa, sparking protests by several anti-corruption groups.

Three, for Obasa’s ambition for Governor, he allegedly floated the “Obasa Support Group,” for which he’s built structures across the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) of Lagos State. But was it a Seyi aspiration that prompted Obasa to reportedly instruct lawmakers to “purchase festive gifts for his political movement”?

This was despite reported warnings from President Bola Tinubu and the ruling APC’s Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) in Lagos, for Obasa to refrain from using his position to advance personal interests, thus underscoring his alleged “defiance of party directives, and disregard for the party leadership and internal rules,” The ConclaveNg reported on January 20, 2025.

Four, was it a Seyi aspiration that allegedly induced Obasa to propose empowering the House of Assembly to remove the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) chairman and “pressure Governor Sanwo-Olu to sign the bill”?

Five, when Tinubu, during his Yuletide holiday in Lagos, reportedly convened a parley to reconcile the shadow-boxing parties, was it Seyi, on account of his aspiration, who advised Obasa to show, via “body language,” that he’s not disposed, amenable, and prepared to finding a common ground with those he’s up against in arms?

Obasa, who’s spent over 17 years as a lawmaker, having first been elected in 2007 and re-elected four times, “has had a frosty working relationship with Sanwo-Olu in recent years.” This, coupled with his alleged disrespect for the governor, “caught the attention of the GAC, who reported him to President Tinubu.”

Thus, from the numerous allegations leveled against him prelude to his impeachment on January 13, Obasa’s his own undoing, and nobody else – not the least Seyi for his alleged governorship aspiration – should be blamed for his perceived “political downfall.”

Meanwhile, with his father and mother as President and First Lady of Nigeria, respectively, is Seyi – who remains close-mouthed over his aspiration – qualified to bid for any elective position, especially the Governor of Lagos State? Absolutely, if he satisfies the criteria to be Governor!

Former Presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, in a post to her X handle @Laurestar on January 14, 2025, explains that: “To become a Governor in Nigeria, the law does not exclude those whose parents were (or are) Governors or Presidents. Let us be guided by the law when we argue about Lagos State succession. We cannot have a set of laws for Nigeria and a different set for Lagos.”

The requirements for qualification for and disqualification from the office of Governor are set out in Sections 177 and 182, accordingly, of the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which, in a nutshell, are as follows:

Section 177 states that, “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if – (a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) he has attained the age of thirty-five years (c) he is a member of a political party sponsored by that party; and (d) he is educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.

However, Section 182(1) states that, “No person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if – (a) he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of and declared allegiance to another country; (b) he has been elected twice to such office; (c) he is legally adjudged a lunatic or declared to be of unsound mind; (d) he is under a court or tribunal-imposed sentence of death in Nigeria or imprisonment for dishonesty or fraud; (e) within less than ten years before election for Governor, he has been convicted and sentenced for dishonesty or found guilty for contravening the Code of Conduct; (f) he is an undischarged bankrupt under any law in Nigeria; (g) he has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from the public service of the Federation or of any State, at least thirty days to the election; (h) he is a member of any secret society; (i) he has officially been indicted for embezzlement or fraud; (j) he has presented a forged certificate to the independent National Electoral Commission.”

Yet, there’s a caveat to the disqualifying conditions in Section 182(1), as Section 182(2) states that, “Where in respect of any person who has been (a) adjudged to be a lunatic; (b) declared to be of unsound mind; (c) sentenced or declared bankrupt, (d) adjudged or declared bankrupt, an appeal against the decision is pending in any court of law in accordance with any law in force in Nigeria, subsection (1) of this section shall not apply during a period beginning from the date when such appeal is lodged and ending on the date when the appeal is finally determined or, as the case may be, the appeal lapses or is abandoned, whichever is earlier.”

So, rather than link Obasa’s impeachment to his aspiration to be Lagos Governor, which Seyi also allegedly aspires to, the question to ask is: Does Seyi meet the requirements for Governor? If he does, then he’s good to go for the position!

But should Seyi run for Governor, as his father seeks re-election for President in 2027? Besides such being novel in our clime, Seyi’s ambition can jeopardise Tinubu’s chances at the poll. Hence some advise he shelves his still secretive aspiration to at least 2031.

One Wale S Akerele, with X moniker, @akerele_s – who claims to be a loyal member of the APC since 1999, and his brother a childhood friend of President Tinubu – believes that, “this is not the appropriate time for Seyi to run for Governor of Lagos State.”

Akerele says: “If the APC proceeds with this decision, it may jeopardise our electoral success. While I acknowledge that the party has its preferences, prioritising our interests is crucial. After Baba @officialABAT’s tenure, Seyi may pursue his ambitions.

“It is uncommon for a father running for President to have his son seeking another political office simultaneously, as this could adversely impact Baba Tinubu’s election campaign. Let us refocus our efforts on supporting Baba Tinubu’s reelection. I trust that he (Seyi) will not make this critical mistake.”

Both for its inappropriate and inauspicious timing, it’s imperative for Seyi to rebut his alleged aspiration for Lagos Governor in 2027, first, to put a break on the campaign by a horde of partisans and youths, who view him as a role model for his charitable activities across Nigeria, and second, to distance himself and President Tinubu from Speaker Obasa’s ouster allegedly tagged to Seyi’s governorship ambition. Let wise counsel prevail and take control!

 

Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. Can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon. Tel: 08033078357

On Monday, January 13, 2025, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly – bandying allegations of gross misconduct, financial mismanagement, and poor leadership – defied the MKO Abiola dictum of “not shaving a man’s head in his absence,” and impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who’s away in the United States of America.

Since then, the spinning goes on in political circles, and especially on social media that, the dramatic impeachment was a hatchet job executed by the “political machine” of President Bola Tinubu, intent on “installing” his son, Seyi Tinubu, as Governor of Lagos State in 2027.

Mind you, that’s the same 2027 in which Tinubu – God sparing his life, and has performed averagely in the estimation of Nigerians in his first term in office – may seek re-election, to round-off an eight-year tenure (in 2031) allowed by the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

The alleged Tinubu political machine is a conclave of Elders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, reportedly instituted by Tinubu during his Governorship (1999-2007) as the clearing house for elective and appointive positions and other political matters of the party.

Regarded by Lagosians as an appendage and rubber-stamp for Tinubu’s suzareignty in Lagos, those endorsed by the GAC members are as good as “already elected or appointed” for the positions so earmarked for them. There lies the party elders’ power, which you test or ignore at your own political risk or peril!

Perhaps in their haste to nail President Tinubu as deploying the GAC to scapegoat Obasa, the spinners of the conspiracy theory about “Obasa being sacrificed for Seyi” have completely ignored the reasons members of the House of Assembly advanced for ending Obasa’s 10-year speakership.

Media reports indicate that, moving the motion for Obasa’s removal – raised under “Matter of Urgent Public Importance” – Femi Saheed (Kosofe Constituency 2), citing the 1999 Constitution, accused Obasa of lateness to legislative sessions, misuse of funds, abuse of office, and creating divisions among the lawmakers.

Noting Obasa’s absence from the plenary – when his impeachment move was in progress – as further evidence of his disregard for the Assembly’s duties and proceedings, the lawmakers listed, among others, Obasa’s “sins”, as follows: highhandedness; gross misconduct; poor leadership; lack of commitment to legislative business; lack of regard for fellow lawmakers; intimidation; suppression of legislative staff; financial impropriety; misappropriation of funds; lack of transparency; gross abuse of office and privileges; and authoritarianism.

With a unanimous voice vote by 32 members, Obasa was removed from office in his absence, and replaced with Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda (Apapa Constituency 1), making history as the first female Speaker in Lagos State.

While Fatai Mojeed (Ibeju-Lekki Constituency) was chosen as Deputy Speaker, the Assembly suspended the Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko (a reported close ally of Obasa), and picked Abubakar Ottun as Acting Clerk.

Amid deployment of armed security personnel, including officers from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and Lagos Task Force, to secure the Assembly complex, some aggrieved supporters of Obasa attempted to disrupt the proceedings, but were intercepted and arrested, with charms and amulets reportedly recovered from them.

Obasa allegedly cowered his colleague-lawmakers to the extent that one of them, who aspired to contest the Speakership with him, confessed he thereafter contemplated suicide, as he’s ostracised in the Assembly for daring to challenge Obasa for the gavel.

Obasa accusingly extended his highhanded leadership style to banning journalists covering the Assembly activities for over two years, and clashing with the state executive arm – an attitude he notably displayed in 2023 during the Assembly screening of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Commissioner-nominees; and the governor’s presentation of the 2025 Budget proposals to the House in 2024.

In 2023, Obasa – seeming to flaunt his “immense powers” by testing the independence of the Assembly, “based on the principles of separation of power, and checks and balances” – rejected some of the nominees, thereby “taking the governor much of appeasing by tradeoffs” for Obasa and the House to reconsider the designees for clearance.

The GAC elders, who reportedly took notice of Obasa’s “intransigence,” bided their time until the opportune moment came for Sanwo-Olu to present the 2025 Budget estimates to the Assembly, with Obasa, once again, allegedly playing his hand unhidden in rigmarole.

Obasa reportedly kept shifting Sanwo-Olu’s request to present the Budget. And when he finally agreed on a date for the ceremony, he didn’t only keep the governor waiting for over four hours, but also used the session “to launch his governorship ambition.”

Obasa told Sanwo-Olu and his aides, and the lawmakers his intention for the Governorship, declaring that, “I am not too young or inexperienced to be governor, and I am more qualified than some of those people who are there” – a direct shot at Sanwo-Olu, “and, by extension, past Lagos governors, including Tinubu.”

Obasa, who, in the course of his Speakership, has faced several allegations of corruption, willy-nilly, opened his flanks for the powerbroker-GAC in the Lagos APC to intervene in his shadow-boxing with Sanwo-Olu, and ambition to run for Governor in 2027.

Obasa’s governorship bid “further alienated him from colleagues,” one of the lawmakers, Abiodun Tobun (Epe Constituency 1), told journalists after the impeachment, adding that Obasa’s ouster as Speaker “was necessary to restore order and preserve the Assembly’s integrity,” even as he assured Lagosians of the lawmakers’ “commitment to transparency and effective governance under (new Speaker) Meranda’s leadership.”

As the GAC operation is akin to Labour Movement’s motto of “Injury to one is injury to all,” its members didn’t only consider Obasa’s public outburst as disrespect to Sanwo-Olu, but also indecorous to the entire GAC members, who then convoked, and decided it’s time to clip Obasa’s wings, by “returning him to floor membership in the House of Assembly en route to quashing his governorship ambition.”

So, how does Seyi’s aspiration for Governor connect Obasa’s alleged underhand legislative behaviours and ambition for the Governorship? From the allegations leveled against him prelude to his impeachment on January 13, Obasa’s his own undoing, and nobody else, not the least Seyi for his alleged governorship aspiration, should be blamed for Obasa’s perceived “political downfall.” Still, these and more will be explored in the second installment of the article!

 

Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. Can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon. Tel: 08033078357.