Meranda to Obasa: Your Return as Speaker Is Impossible

Embattled Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda, has issued a strong warning to her predecessor, Mudashiru Obasa, stating that he cannot reclaim the speakership.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, Meranda clarified that while Obasa remains a lawmaker and can attend plenary, his impeachment stands.

Obasa was removed as Speaker in January while he was in the United States, with Meranda sworn in as his replacement. However, upon his return, Obasa rejected his removal, calling it “null and void” and insisting that due process was not followed.

The political drama escalated on Thursday after reports surfaced that security details attached to Meranda were withdrawn while Obasa’s were reinstated. Shortly after, Obasa stormed the Assembly complex, forcibly entered the Speaker’s office, and presided over a controversial plenary with only three lawmakers, declaring that he was never removed.

Obasa has since taken 35 lawmakers to court to challenge his impeachment. The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has ordered that all members of the Assembly be joined in the suit.

Reacting after the court hearing, Meranda criticized Obasa’s actions. “I think the removed Speaker is still a member of the House of Assembly, so he has every right to come, but the invasion and breaking into my office is a big one,” she stated.

Dismissing Obasa’s plenary session, she added, “That was just a show of shame because in our job, we have numbers that form a quorum. So if you are sitting with three or four members, you are only doing a theatre.”