The reinstated Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has refused to resign, contrary to earlier reports suggesting such a move.
On Tuesday, he held a meeting with his fellow lawmakers in an effort to reconcile following the recent leadership crisis.
The meeting, which took place at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja, aimed to address the concerns of his colleagues after the crisis was resolved on Monday, when Obasa was re-elected as Speaker.
The event followed the resignation of Mojisola Meranda as Speaker during Monday’s plenary, after which she was re-elected as Deputy Speaker, a position she had previously held before being elevated to Speaker on January 13, 2025, following Obasa’s removal. Meranda led the House as Speaker for 49 days.
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Obasa’s re-election was secured by the 40-member legislative assembly, following interventions from the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by former governors Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba.
The meeting came amid ongoing speculation that Obasa might resign. However, a source close to Obasa told The PUNCH on Tuesday that he had no intention of stepping down. The Chairman of the APC in Lagos, Cornelius Ojelabi, also dismissed the rumours when asked about it on Monday.
Some lawmakers who attended the meeting, speaking anonymously, indicated that the purpose of the gathering was not solely for reconciliation. One lawmaker revealed, “First, one of the issues we raised as a reason for his removal happened again. A meeting scheduled for 1pm did not start until 2.30pm. We were all kept waiting, and when he arrived, there was no apology for the delay. He went straight into the agenda after briefly acknowledging that we were still unhappy with the way we were forced to bring him back, but none of us contributed at the meeting.”
Another lawmaker added, “The meeting was primarily to update us on the case brought against us by the suspended Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko. The matter is set to come up on Thursday. Ordinarily, it is a civil matter, so we were concerned that he had involved the Department of State Services, which led to the invitation and arrest of some of our colleagues. Apart from that, nothing else happened, and the meeting was brief.”
The lawmaker further stated, “I want you to know that his return was not a selfless decision by us. It was done simply because we respect leaders like Baba Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba. In our hearts and souls, we do not want him back even now.”
The lawmaker admitted that there was still significant anger within the House and suggested that the state legislature would not be the same going forward.
A source from Obasa’s camp confirmed that Obasa had been meeting with the lawmakers regularly. “They met on Monday as well. They’ve been having ongoing discussions to reconcile and work together,” the source said.
The source also revealed that Obasa is pushing for the return of Olalekan Onafeko as Clerk of the House. “Obasa is pushing for Onafeko to return, but the lawmakers are resolute. Some are beginning to shift their stance and consider it, but let’s see how it goes.”
It was explained that it would not be politically correct for a pro-Meranda clerk to continue serving under Obasa’s leadership. Onafeko was suspended on January 13, the same day Obasa was removed, and replaced by Ottun Babatunde.
Onafeko has since taken legal action, dragging Babatunde and the Assembly to the National Industrial Court to seek redress. However, Ottun acted as Clerk during the Monday plenary where Obasa was re-elected.
