One house, two speakers

Are you still wondering what has been going on in the Lagos State House of Assembly? Never mind; it is the usual power dynamics on full display by our politicians. They have taken positions and fighting for leverage. No one is amused except that, this time, Lagos State – a highly prized jewel and the centre of excellence – is the latest victim of the show of shame that Nigerians put up with on a regular basis.

From the National Assembly to the State Houses of Assembly, what can we really point to as a higher sense of purpose that drives the conversations and engagements among our lawmakers? After the shenanigans that we witnessed in Rivers State in what turned out to be a long-running soap opera before the Supreme Court judgments, it never occurred to me that Lagos State would be the next perfidious playground.

Without a doubt, Lagos State is the richest state in Nigeria with a GDP of about $34 billion, followed by Rivers State with $21 billion, according to available data. These two states can stand on their own without federal allocations from Abuja. It is understandable that there’s so much at stake in Lagos State, but do we need the political chicanery?

But the bizarre behaviour of a majority of our political elite leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Politicians can align to protect their interests which is okay, but it should not be at the expense of Nigerians when our wellbeing should be their number one priority. What Nigerians want at all levels – from the local councils to the subnational governments and federal government – is exemplary leadership, and I do not think we are asking for too much.

According to John Maxwell, a world renowned leadership expert, “Being a great leader is all about having a genuine willingness and true commitment to lead others to achieve a common vision and goals through positive influence.”

Maxwell also says, “A leader knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” Great leaders craft a vision for progress and foster a buy-in culture from their followers.

Lagos State not only has the highest urban population in Nigeria, it is arguably the 6th largest economy in Africa arising mainly from its commercial and industrial activities. It explains why the internally generated revenue (IGR) reached a historic N1 trillion milestone last year.

The 40 members in the Lagos State House of Assembly have always worked together in peace and harmony over the years based on a leadership structure for Lagos that is superintended by the Governance Advisory Council (GAC).

However, on January 13, 2025, an unexpected turn of events led to the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house of assembly, who staged a dramatic comeback last Thursday and presided over a plenary of only four members. Although Obasa declared that he had returned as speaker, the purported plenary was a joke taken too far.

Meanwhile, Obasa has instituted a legal challenge to what transpired on January 13 while he was away in the United States on vacation. At that time, the house of assembly was on recess. Politicians say when they have a problem, they will find a political solution. But when they don’t, you will see them washing their dirty linen in the public and end up in court, keeping their Lordships busy and working overtime. Never have a dog in their fight.

When Obasa who had been speaker of the house for 10 years was impeached, 36 members voted in favour of the resolution, but Obasa is faulting the process because the House Rules, according to him, requires the majority leader to inform the clerk to notify the members to resume.

But the clerk must obtain the prior approval of the speaker before the notice of resumption from recess can be circulated. Obasa says this process was breached, because, as it turned out, the plan to remove him was an “urgent matter” that had been hatched and consecrated by his political adversaries.

Obasa has also not helped his own case because of his alleged highhandedness, arrogance and overbearing nature. “As speaker,” some insiders alleged, “Obasa had become too powerful and disrespected some of his political associates.” A case in point was when the Lagos State 2025 budget was scheduled for presentation. Obasa kept Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State and members of GAC waiting for longer than necessary.

The impeachment process produced Mojisola Labat Meranda as the new speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly with 35 members of the house rooting for her. Their aim was to effect a change in the power calculus in the house.

But this is just the beginning of the crisis which has been receiving multiple interventions by some elders like Chief Segun Osoba, a media titan and former governor of Ogun State, and Chief Bisi Akande, former governor of Osun State – two influential stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

These elders have called for truce from the warring parties which requires a multifaceted approach, but politicians are good chess players and the end will always justify the means. Although the presidency was fingered as backing Obasa to instigate the crisis, it is not entirely true. The facts of the matter do not support this allegation. What is playing out is the usual political intrigues and the fight for relevance by Obasa and his supporters. Insiders say President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was unaware of the plot to remove Obasa, one of his foot soldiers and die-hard loyalist which many see as an affront to the presidency.

In order to take care of the interest of all the critical stakeholders, what is likely to happen is that Meranda will resign and Obasa will perish the idea of returning as speaker. Since Obasa is from Agege 1 Constituency in the Lagos West Senatorial District, the next speaker, according to a very dependable source, is expected to emerge from that District and the likely beneficiary is David Setonji, a civil engineer and current chief whip of the house of assembly representing Badagry constituency. Both Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor and Meranda are from the Lagos Central Senatorial District.

This scenario is likely to pave the way for Obasa, all things being equal, to head to the Senate in 2027 in a game of political engineering and brinkmanship. The rally by Obasa and his supporters after he returned from his vacation was stage managed to display his political sagacity and make the point that he will not go down without a fight.

My reading of the situation is that he poured gasoline into the raging fire by taking the additional step of convening the plenary, not to pre-empt the court hearing which was to hold the next day, but to escalate the matter based on the script he held close to his chest which was being used to manipulate the crisis by his sponsors. Clearly, Obasa could not have been acting alone.

Besides Osoba and Akande, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the APC leaders in Lagos State and Abuja, and GAC members must work together to prevent any further escalation of the crisis. The situation in Rivers State and Lagos State are similar, but they are not taken from the same playbook. It is why I am hopeful that the efforts of peacemakers Osoba and Akande – the bridge between Abuja and Lagos – will yield the desired results within the shortest possible time.

Since Obasa went to court to challenge his impeachment, he should be patient and take it easy. When you are speaker for 10 years, it should count for something. At the end of the day, it is Lagosians that are bearing the brunt of the needless crisis.

How can Babajide Sanwo-Olu function effectively when the house of assembly is divided? In fact, the governor has also been accused in certain quarters of being responsible for the crisis because he wanted checkmate Obasa and teach him a political lesson. Can this be true? I do not have any empirical evidence to support this claim, but who is to be blamed for the ongoing crisis? That is the story of our democratic culture and political evolution which manifests in power play in high places.

Well-meaning political leaders and stakeholders must rise above the fray and douse the tension immediately. I challenge the sponsors of the political gladiators – whoever they maybe – to act in the interest of Lagosians and do the right thing in order to save our Lagos.

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