Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, accusing him of multiple statutory and financial violations.
At the time of his impeachment, TheLeadng learnt Mr Obasa was in Atlanta.
Mr Obasa was immediately replaced by his deputy, Lasbat Meranda. Mrs Meranda, who represents Apapa Constituency 1, was also a former Chief Whip of the House.
The impeachment came shortly after reports revealed that Mr Obasa had overseen the withdrawal of N43.5 billion for backup vehicles for lawmakers, alongside other controversial actions.
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The lawmakers stated that Obasa’s removal was necessary to protect the integrity and sanctity of the House of Assembly and Lagos State.
In 2023, the assembly faced public backlash after rejecting 17 out of 39 commissioner nominees submitted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. At the time, Obasa denied any rift with the governor, although the situation prompted a meeting with the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
More recently, the Obasa-led assembly proposed a bill to restructure local governance in the state. The bill sought to replace the existing 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) created in 2003 by former governor Bola Tinubu with democratically elected local governments, recognising only 20 LGAs as outlined in the 1999 Constitution.
In response, Cornelius Ojelabi, the APC chairman in Lagos, stated that elections would still take place in the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in 2025.
Mr Obasa, 52, was first elected Speaker on 8th June 2015, taking office alongside former one-term governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
