The Lagos State House of Assembly has been adjourned indefinitely to allow tensions from the leadership issue to completely resolve, according to sources within the House. Some lawmakers have suggested that the current agreement is merely a surface-level one.
This comes after Mudashiru Obasa was reinstituted as the Speaker of the Lagos Assembly, according to reports.
“The original plan called for Obasa to step down on Wednesday, tomorrow, and Meranda to step down today. After that, a different lawmaker from Lagos West will be chosen to take over as speaker. The efforts of the party leaders are wasted if this solution is not reached. The 35 other lawmakers cannot be surpassed by one individual. “In this Assembly, things won’t be the same again,” a source informed Leadership.
Legislators and Assembly employees publicly broke down in tears on Monday as previous Speaker Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda resigned, opening the door for Obasa to be reinstated.
Obasa’s removal from office on January 13 marked the start of the Assembly’s turmoil. During the 49 days that Meranda served as Speaker, numerous parliamentarians and staff members freely expressed their admiration for her leadership. In the House, some saw her resignation as a return to authoritarian control.
Meranda and Obasa met with other lawmakers before to resigning, with Lagos State Attorney General Lawal Pedro and Lagos APC Chairman Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi present.
Meranda was reappointed as Deputy Speaker after she resigned, and Obasa took the oath of office to become Speaker again. There was also the resignation of Hon. Setonji David as Chief Whip and the resignation of Hon. Sanni Okanlawon as Deputy Chief Whip.
Hon. Kehinde Joseph nominated Hon. David, who was later re-elected as Deputy Chief Whip. As Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Richard Kasunmu returned to his position, and Hon. Adewale Temitope held onto his post.
Likewise, Meranda reinstated herself as the new Deputy Speaker after Deputy Speaker Mojeed Fatai resigned and was elected Chief Whip.
Following this, Meranda held the position of Speaker for 49 days before resigning in deference to the party leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to information obtained, the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) had a strategic discussion with House members on Sunday to ratify this decision. According to reports, Obasa had to make an appeal for his reinstatement during the protracted discussions, pledging to alter his style of leadership.
Lawmakers praised Meranda’s leadership in turns during the plenary session.
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Meranda said in her remarks: “My resignation was a personal sacrifice with the main goal of establishing democracy.
I have carefully considered the current unrest and the necessity to preserve democracy before deciding to step down with effect from March 3, 2025.
“I also want to thank my coworkers, management, and employees for their support throughout my time in office. I will remain in my role as Speaker and continue to represent Apapa Constituency 1.
“I don’t quit easily. In order to prevent controversy and disgrace for the institution, I made the decision to protect it. Since the party is in charge, I bend down and resign as Speaker.
Obasa responded by thanking party leaders for their efforts in settling the Assembly’s leadership problem, and he was clearly humbled.
In addition to GAC leaders, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, he recognized the involvement of former Osun State Governors Bisi Akande and Olusegun Osoba in mediating peace.
Obasa reiterated that the Assembly is still capable and mature enough to handle internal conflicts and act as a self-regulatory body.
