Mudashiru Obasa
By Akeem Atoyebi
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have removed Speaker Mudashiru Obasa over multiple allegations of fraud, an impeachment that took many by surprise.
The Clerk of the House, Mr Olalekan Onafeko, was also suspended indefinitely, while the Chief Whip, Mr Mojeed Fatai, was elected the new Deputy Speaker.
Multiple sources confirmed that the lawmakers removed Obasa during a plenary session on Monday.
Details of the politics of the removal remain sketchy and unclear as of press time. However, the Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, has been sworn in as the new Speaker and the first female speaker of the Assembly.
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.”
