The first woman to serve as Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Mojisola Meranda has confirmed the story earlier published by your darling medium, orientactualmags.com on February 3,2025, with the headline ‘Lagos Assembly: Attention On ‘Zoning Arrangements’ As Speaker Meranda’s Political Future Hangs In The Balance’.

https://orientactualmags.com/lagos-assembly-attention-on-zoning-arrangements-as-speaker-merandas-political-future-hangs-in-the-balance/

 

Hon Meranda announced the decision to resign from her position during the plenary session held on Monday, March 3, 2025, saying ‘I take a bow as your Speaker’.

‘This is a notice of resignation as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly’ she had earlier announced.

It was a solemn moment in the history of Lagos State parliament and a lawmaker, Hon Temitope Adewale’s speech was emotion-laden;

‘We celebrate you for your quality service. You are a heroine of democracy. You came, you saw, you conquer. You are a victim of circumstance. This house is in tears’ he said

There has since been a return to the status quo and everything has returned to what it was before Monday, January 13, 2025,

Meranda has gotten re-elected as Deputy Speaker while Hon Mudashiru Obasa has reclaimed the speakership of the House of Assembly.

Hon Mudashiru Obasa had won a sixth term in March 2023, and had on June 6,2023, gotten elected as Speaker for the third time.

Mojeed Fatai, who had emerged as Deputy Speaker after Meranda became the Speaker in January this year and Sanni Okanlawon, who was appointed as Chief Whip have resigned from their respective positions..

 Recall that Hon Mudashiru Obasa, who had his security detail restored last week Thursday, had also presided over a plenary session at the parliament chamber on the same day

He had arrived at the Assembly Complex at about 12 pm and headed straight to the Speaker’s office .

‘I’ve never been removed.  Impeachment or removal is democratic and constitutional, but in doing that, you must follow due process. I am not against that. If I do that, then I am not a democrat’ Obasa later told journalists.

Members of the House of Assembly, who had Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, Steven Ogundipe as their spokesman, had however declared that they were not in support of Obasa’s return as Speaker.

Ogundipe, who claimed that 36 lawmakers were in support of Mojisola Meranda, urged the leaders of the ruling party, APC, to intervene and ensure that normalcy returns to the House of Assembly.

Your darling medium, orientactualmags.com in a story published on February 28, 2025, with the headline   ‘Obasa, 4 Lagos Assembly Members Hold Plenary Session…Steven Ogundipe , 35 Others Fume…Meranda’s Security Detail Restored’ had however noted that the aggrieved lawmakers were only engaging in initial ‘gra gra’ and would eventually follow the directive of the party leaders.

 

https://orientactualmags.com/obasa-4-lagos-assembly-members-hold-plenary-session-steven-ogundipe-35-others-fumemerandas-security-detail-restored/

It was learned that a series of meetings held on Saturday and Sunday especially in the night resulted in the peaceful resolution of the leadership crisis. The meetings were held by members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) and the committee set up by the president which is headed by Chief Bisi Akande and has Chief Segun Osoba, Mr. Dele Alake and others as members.

Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu was said to have also attended some of the meetings 

The GAC leaders, who had withdrawn their support for the aggrieved lawmakers, at a point angrily asked them to let them know when they began to hate to see Obasa’s face having given him total support all the while.

They reminded the lawmakers how they all wore dark glasses in solidarity with Obasa when the governor was kept waiting at the assembly complex in November last year.

They were asked to tell them what has suddenly changed about Obasa and at what point did they begin to notice his weaknesses?

The GAC members had done this because they got to know that the president was very angry with them for asking Meranda to stay put after being told to quit .

‘The president was very angry with them. It is not about Obasa but he saw it as a plot to dethrone him as political godfather.

No one had served as Speaker in the state unless he gets nominated by him and this time around someone was removed as Speaker without seeking his approval and another person was bold enough to accept to become the Speaker without getting anointed.

He felt more incensed that they even lied to some among the lawmakers and other stakeholders that he was the one who gave them the directive to remove Obasa.

The president insisted that Obasa must return to his position to prove a point that he is still in control of Lagos State’ said a source.

In the meanwhile, the state APC has described the peaceful resolution of the leadership crisis as victory for democracy.

Spokesman for the party, Hon. Oluseye Oladejo, in a statement he issued in Lagos congratulated the people of the state, members of the House of Assembly, and the APC leadership for finding an amicable solution to the disagreement.

‘The crux of the disagreement, which primarily aimed to draw attention to certain internal concerns, tested the well-established internal conflict resolution mechanisms of our great party.

It is noteworthy that 39 members of the Lagos State House of Assembly are APC members who won elections on our platform and remain unwaveringly committed to delivering on their mandate.

The party met with all members and proposed stabilizing solutions that required sacrifice but ultimately served the best interests of the state’ the statement added-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you