MAN IN THE NEWS: Obasa, Lagos speaker whose ouster stirred the hornet’s nest

Fifty days ago, news of Mudashiru Obasa’s impeachment as speaker of the Lagos state house of assembly spread on the internet. Interestingly, Obasa, who has been the assembly’s speaker since 2015, was out of the country when his colleagues impeached him, making his ousting even more dramatic and topical.

Obasa, who is serving his third term as speaker, was removed from his position on January 13 over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.

There are insinuations that his impeachment may be related to his statement in 2024 that past governors of Lagos were not better qualified than he is, amid insinuations that he was eyeing the number one seat in the state.

“Becoming governor is secondary to me. It is something that I have not given serious consideration to. Nevertheless, that does not mean I’m too young or lack experience to run. Whereas those who have been before me are not better off,” he had said.

His impeachment was a cloud with a silver lining, paving the way for the emergence of Mojisola Meranda as the first female speaker of Nigeria’s megacity. But her reign barely lasted for two months. Following weeks of dramatic events in the assembly, Meranda resigned on Monday, and Obasa returned as the speaker.

STARTING AS A LAGOS POLITICIAN

Obasa first entered the hollow legislative chamber of Lagos as an ordinary member in 2003, representing Agege Constituency 1.

But Obasa, born November 11, 1972, has been participating in political activities on the sidelines since his 20s, during the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida.

“It all started during the zero party option of General Babangida, when we as youngsters were canvassing votes for a particular candidate in Agege. We were also deeply involved in the Babangida SDP/NRC two-party structure at the local government level. Although our candidate didn’t win the LG election,” he said in an interview.

During the era of late military dictator Sani Abacha, Obasa was in the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). He started as a member of the ward executive and later as the party’s chairman for Alagba, Agege. He was one of the campaign officers when Enoch Ajiboso contested the local government chairman seat in Agege.

In 1999, he contested and won a councillorship position under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Agege LGA.

Obasa described his victory in that election as the “turning point” in his political career, and in 2003, he took his political ambition to the state assembly.

THE MAKING OF OBASA

Obasa commenced his education at St. Thomas Auquinas, Surulere, and then moved to LGA Orile Agege Primary School. He started his secondary education at Saka Tinubu Memorial High School, Orile Agege, but was “booted out for indiscipline”, after which he went ahead to complete his secondary studies at Archbishop Aggrey Memorial Secondary School, Mushin.

His education took a break after his secondary school, a period that was mostly filled with political activities, and he did not return to school until his early years in the state assembly.

He returned to school and bagged a degree in law from the Lagos State University in 2007, and, according to him, he was a member of the Nigerian Law School class of 2008-2009. In 2020, a report claimed that the supreme court said there was no record of Obasa as a lawyer in their registry.

In the same year, Obasa was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corruption allegations, and the anti-graft agency got a court order to freeze three bank accounts belonging to him.

Obasa said he had tried his hands on several jobs in his early years, including being a bus conductor and labourer.

“The only thing I have not done is armed robbery or 419,” he said.

OBASA’S ‘LIFELONG’ LEGISLATIVE AMBITION

About 10 years ago, on the occasion of his 42nd birthday, Obasa declared that his ambition was to devote his political career solely to legislative service. At that time, he was serving his third term in the Lagos assembly and was preparing to return for his fourth.

He passionately championed the legislative role, expressing his desire to complete Nigeria’s legislative structure all the way to the senate. His profile on the Lagos assembly website prides him as the “longest-serving state house of assembly member in sub-Saharan Africa”.

“I don’t look forward to being anything other than a legislator. I started as a councillor, now I am in the house of assembly. I look forward to the house of representatives and the senate. By that time, I would have completed the whole legislative structure in Nigeria,” Obasa said.

He further emphasised the critical importance of the legislative arm in governance.

“The power of any government lies with the legislative arm. The governor cannot spend money without the approval of the legislators. The legislators can remove the governor. The legislators have the power to summon anybody. That is why the issue of experience comes in. If the legislators are not experienced, they can set the whole state on fire because you need to tread carefully atimes. If a government succeeds, it is the legislators that made it work,” he said.

“So, it is all about the parliament. When you talk about governance, it happens in the parliament. There is no place you cannot walk into as a legislator, most especially in your constituency. I have come to love the parliament so much. It opens your eyes into so many areas of governance, except you are the lazy type.”

Asked about his political ambition in 2018, Obasa said, “When you’re a speaker, you can’t go back. I can’t go back to become a council chairman, a commissioner. So, it has to be, it’s either you’re talking about you want to be a deputy governor, governor, senator or president.”

Shortly after his reinstatement, Obasa reaffirmed that despite his qualifications and extensive experience, he harbored no ambitions for the governorship. He noted, however, that nurturing such ambitions is “not a sin”.

HIS DRAMATIC RETURN

Despite being impeached by the assembly, Obasa insisted that he remain the speaker. He said the process that resulted in his removal as speaker was flawed.

Five days after he was removed as speaker, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) seized a cache of pump action rifles in the office of Obasa’s chief security officer. There were also reports that the arms were found in Obasa’s office.

Reacting to the reports, Obasa said his office was broken into while he was away, claiming that the allegation is the handiwork of his traducers, who are planning to tarnish his reputation.

On February 27, Obasa presided over a plenary session with only four of the state’s 40 lawmakers in attendance. Security operatives were said to have forced open the chamber doors to allow Obasa and his supporters access.

On March 25, he stormed the assembly complex in the company of security operatives and made for the office of the speaker. This was after Meranda’s security detail was withdrawn.

He was reinstated on Monday following Meranda’s resignation.

Before her announcement, Obasa had claimed that Meranda had resigned during a peace meeting. There were rumours that Meranda was pressured into stepping down from her position.

In this 2018 interview, when asked his most embarrassing moment, Obasa said it was when he first wanted to be speaker.

“I have never been knocked down. I have always believed nothing will happen. That kind of mentality that I can always weather it, but that was a big knockdown,” he said.

In his years as a legislator, Obasa has served in various capacities, including chairman, house committee on rural development; chairman, house committee on public account; chairman, house committee on budget and economic planning; chairman, house committee on selection. He also served as a member of the committee on lands, housing, and physical planning.

Obasa is a Chelsea fan, a decision influenced by his favourite colour, blue.