President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the Lagos State House of Assembly crisis, reinstating Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker. The move is seen as a strategic effort to maintain party unity and prevent a repeat of history in the state’s politics.
The crisis began when Obasa was removed as Speaker, but Tinubu’s intervention led to his reinstatement. A source within the Presidency revealed that Tinubu told Yoruba leaders, “He said no political leader would allow an insurrection in his backyard.” This move is significant, given the 2027 presidential election and the ongoing gang-up by North-Central and North-West geopolitical zones against Tinubu’s second-term plans.
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed allegations that Tinubu has a vested interest in Obasa or the Lagos Assembly. Spokesperson Seye Oladejo stated, “If the President had ‘vested’ interest, the matter would not have dragged on for so long. The truth of the matter remains that it was the legislators that invited the party to mediate.”
However, not all members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) are pleased with the outcome. A GAC member, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “The tripartite solution is that Meranda must resign, and Obasa would be giving a soft landing by being reinstated, and that he (Obasa) too would resign latest today (Wednesday) while another person from Lagos West would step in as the Speaker.”
The GAC member also criticized Obasa’s actions, saying, “That is what they call brigandage in law. Since he has gone to court to challenge his removal, Obasa has no right to do that, and the party must be bold enough to say it for our integrity before Lagosians, Nigerians, and anywhere democracy and or representative governance is practised.”