Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, forcibly reentered the Assembly complex on Thursday, February 27, 2025, proclaiming his resumption as Speaker. Backed by armed personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service (SSS), Obasa’s declaration has deepened an ongoing political crisis that began with his impeachment on January 13, 2025. “I’ve resumed, and I remain the Speaker of the Assembly,” he stated confidently, dismissing his removal as invalid and intensifying a power struggle that has gripped Nigeria’s economic hub.
A Day of High Drama
Obasa’s reentry into the Assembly complex was nothing short of theatrical. Arriving around noon, he marched into the Speaker’s Office, a symbolic act that followed reports of police escorts being withdrawn from Meranda earlier that day. The timing suggests a orchestrated effort to undermine her authority and reassert his own. Sources indicate that his move may have been buoyed by a directive from President Bola Tinubu, the APC’s national leader and a Lagos political titan, who is said to favor Obasa’s reinstatement possibly as a face-saving measure allowing him to resign later on his own terms.
The presence of armed security personnel accompanying Obasa has raised eyebrows, with some questioning whether this show of force signals tacit support from higher authorities or simply a bid to intimidate his detractors. Either way, his declaration has upended the Assembly’s fragile status quo, leaving lawmakers and observers scrambling to assess the fallout.
A Leadership Under Fire
Mudashiru Obasa’s decade-long tenure as Speaker, beginning in 2015, established him as a formidable player in Lagos politics. Representing Agege Constituency I, the lawyer-turned-legislator wielded significant influence, often aligning himself with the state’s ruling elite. Yet, his leadership was increasingly marred by allegations of extravagance and autocracy. A December 2024 claim that the Assembly spent N17 billion on a gate an accusation he ridiculed as absurd crystallized public and legislative frustration with his stewardship.
His impeachment on January 13 was framed as a decisive rebuke, with lawmakers citing a litany of grievances: financial opacity, habitual tardiness, and a domineering approach that alienated colleagues. Meranda’s appointment was meant to signal a new chapter, but Obasa’s refusal to fade quietly has kept the Assembly in limbo.
Legal Battle and Political Intrigue
Obasa has not limited his fight to rhetoric and theatrics. On February 14, 2025, he filed a lawsuit at the Lagos High Court against the Assembly and Meranda, arguing that his removal violated constitutional provisions and the House’s rules, particularly because it occurred during a recess without proper notice. The case remains unresolved, but Obasa’s decision to physically reclaim his office suggests he is banking on political muscle as much as judicial relief.
The crisis has exposed fissures within the All Progressives Congress (APC), which dominates Lagos politics. President Tinubu’s reported intervention has met resistance from some quarters, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is said to be ambivalent about Obasa’s return. The Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the APC’s influential decision-making body in Lagos, is also split, with some elders backing Obasa as a loyal party stalwart, while others see his ouster as a necessary purge of a tarnished figure.
A House Divided
Obasa’s return has left the Assembly in a state of uncertainty. Since resuming plenary sessions earlier in February, the House had operated under Meranda’s leadership, with Obasa absent from proceedings. His sudden reappearance—and claim to the speakership—raises questions about who truly holds authority. Meranda’s position is now precarious, especially with her security detail reportedly stripped, a move that could indicate shifting allegiances among state institutions.
Lawmakers are divided. Some, like Stephen Ogundipe, a former committee chair, insist the impeachment was lawful and warn that Obasa’s actions threaten legislative stability. Others quietly support his return, viewing it as a restoration of order disrupted by an overzealous faction. The absence of a formal vote to reinstate him, however, leaves his status legally ambiguous, setting the stage for a potential showdown in the chamber.
Mudashiru Obasa’s audacious return has thrown the Lagos State House of Assembly into chaos. Whether he can consolidate his position or whether Meranda and her allies will mount a counteroffensive remains uncertain. The APC leadership is reportedly planning urgent talks to address Tinubu’s directive and chart a path forward, but the party’s internal divisions may complicate any resolution.
