Lagos Assembly speaker: Meranda may step down as Akande panel shortlists seven
The speakership crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly might be resolved soon as the intervention of heavyweights in the All Progressives Congress may be leading to a headway.
The impeached Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa and the current Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, might be stepping aside for another lawmaker to lead the House, The PUNCH learnt.
The development follows the intervention of the APC bigwigs, notably former governors of Osun, Ogun and Lagos states, namely Chief Bisi Akande, Segun Osoba, and Akinwunmi Ambode, respectively, among others.
The high-powered APC delegation was directed by President Bola Tinubu to resolve the political tension at the Lagos Assembly, following the inability of the Governance Advisory Council to find a solution.
The crisis began at the House on January 13, 2025, when about 36 lawmakers removed Obasa as speaker and replaced him with Meranda, the then-deputy speaker.
Over 90 per cent of the lawmakers accused the impeached speaker of poor leadership style, perpetual lateness to legislative sections and plenary, high-handedness and disregard for colleague lawmakers and the executive, especially the governor, abuse of office and privileges, intimidation and oppression of members, misappropriation, among others.
Obasa, who was away in Atlanta, United States, when he was removed, had since faulted his removal and insisted he was still the speaker, even as his colleagues in the House remained adamant.
“My status in the house? I strongly believe I am still the speaker until the right thing has been done. If you want to remove me, remove me the proper way and I will not contest it,” Obasa said while addressing newsmen on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
On Sunday, Osoba, Ambode, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and all the GAC members met at the Governor’s Lodge in Marina over the crisis, to find a lasting solution.
The PUNCH gathered that the meeting lasted till around 7 pm. It was also learnt that the panel earlier met with the lawmakers.
A GAC member, Chief Muraina Taiwo, told The PUNCH about the outcome of the meeting on Monday, noting that one of the seven lawmakers from Lagos West was being considered by the party leaders as the new Speaker.
“The issue will die down soon. Between now and the middle of next week, everything will become clearer. The APC leaders, including Chief Bisi Akande and Chief Olusegun Osoba, came to mediate.
“They will go back to Abuja to brief our leader (Tinubu) how they feel about everything. They are suggesting to Speaker Obasa that he should step down and the other woman (Meranda) to also step down and they will bring in another new person. They are thinking of submitting a few names but all will land at the table of the leader.
“You know the House is working based on seniority, that is, if you’ve spent two years at the House, you’re qualified to hold a higher position than someone in first tenure. So they will go back to Abuja with seven names of the seniors in the House and from Lagos West,” he said.
The GAC member added, “The seven of them are ranking members in Lagos West. They are the ones whose names will be submitted to President Tinubu.
It was also gathered that party leaders considered it politically and ethically appropriate not to select a speaker from Lagos Central, as it is the same senatorial zone as Governor Sanwo-Olu.
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