Lagos Assembly speaker impeached

The Lagos State House of Assembly has impeached its Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa over multiple allegations of fraud.

Mr Olalekan Onafeko, the Clerk of the Assembly, was also suspended indefinitely, while Mr Mojeed Fatai, the Chief Whip, was elected the new Deputy Speaker.

The lawmakers removed Obasa during a plenary session on Monday.

Speaking on the impeachment, a lawmaker stated, “It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable. Members of the parliament today have decided to change the leadership of the House. The Constitution makes it clear that the House has the power to regulate its proceedings.

“The members of the House felt we had had enough of the leadership of Mudashiru Obasa. We unanimously agreed that Hon. Mojisola Meranda would become the new Speaker and Hon. Fatai Adebola would be the Deputy Speaker. It was a resolution concurred by all members of the parliament. As we speak, all principal positions and standing committees of the House have been dissolved.

“The House has resolved to work together to move the parliament to the next level. We cannot sit back and watch the parliament fall into ruin. We owe our constituencies and Lagos State the duty of restoring the sanity and integrity of this House. That is why we have taken this action—to save our image and our state.”

The lawmaker did not specify the precise reasons for Obasa’s impeachment.

Obasa recently dismissed allegations that the Assembly had spent ₦17 billion on constructing a gate as “spurious and laughable.”

A group called the Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition had accused the Assembly of spending the amount on the gate and called for an investigation.

At the plenary, the former Speaker denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated.

“It is funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in a whole year for anyone to claim we spent ₦17 billion on a gate? They even alleged that we spent ₦200 million on the recently organised 22nd Thanksgiving service, which is untrue.

“We are aware that as elections in 2027 approach, such baseless claims will arise. It seems some people are scared, and I don’t know why. This House has not embarked on any such project. We are not reckless. Our Thanksgiving was held last Friday, attended by dignitaries from across the state,” he said.

Obasa, a sixth-term lawmaker representing Agege Constituency I under the All Progressives Congress, has held the speakership for almost 10 years.

He has previously faced controversies and allegations of financial mismanagement within the Assembly.