HOW PRESIDENT TINUBU MEDDLE IN LAGOS ASSEMBLY AFFAIRS
HOW PRESIDENT TINUBU MEDDLED IN LAGOS ASSEMBLY AFFAIRS The recent impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly has been described as a long-overdue decision, influenced by President Bola Tinubu’s intervention and Obasa’s defiance. A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Fouad Oki, has shed light on the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa, the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. According to Oki, President Tinubu made “efforts” to mediate the crisis within the assembly, but Obasa’s unyielding stance led to his eventual removal. Speaking on a Channels TV programme, Oki disclosed that President Tinubu intervened following concerns raised by members of the party’s Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC). However, the president reportedly encountered resistance from Obasa, which Oki described as the final straw. “Before the president came home, this issue had been lingering. In the wisdom of members of the GAC, the president’s attention was called,” Oki explained. “The president, as father and leader, called a meeting wherein he tried to make sense of the observations raised by elders of the party. Unfortunately, the president saw by himself a recalcitrant Obasa. I think that is what broke the camel’s back.” Obasa’s impeachment, which occurred on Monday, followed allegations of fraud that had been simmering for months. The former speaker was replaced by Mojisola Meranda, marking a shift in the leadership of the Lagos State Assembly. Oki emphasised that the decision to impeach Obasa was not taken lightly, noting that it was a culmination of unresolved tensions and Obasa’s failure to heed party elders’ advice. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been petitioned to investigate Obasa over allegations of financial misconduct, breach of public trust, and abuse of office. A petition filed by the Progressive Youth Movement of Ikeja, Lagos State, accuses Obasa of using proxy companies to embezzle funds from the Lagos House of Assembly and violating due process and procurement regulations. The petition, dated December 17, alleges that the Finance Management Committee had not met officially since the 10th Assembly was inaugurated, allowing Obasa to make unauthorised financial decisions. The Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition previously filed a petition with the EFCC to investigate allegations of mismanaging N17 billion earmarked for constructing a gate at the Lagos State House of Assembly, as reported by SaharaReporters. According to the petition obtained by SaharaReporters, the Progressive Youth Movement alleged that the Speaker awarded N469 million contract for the Construction of Ikeja Local Government Secretariat to Orgnitek Consult Limited, identifying it as one of the companies used to perpetrate his fraudulent activities. The group also alleged that the Speaker approved N200 million for thanksgiving at the Lagos State House of Assembly, saying it shouldn’t have cost more than N2 million. When SaharaReporters contacted the Speaker, he had described the allegations as “nonsensical and political.”
Dons Eze
