Lagos Assembly: Setonji, Kasunmu, Jah, Others ‘Under Scrutiny’ As Search For Speaker Meranda’s Replacement Begins

The ‘political future’ of Hon Mojisola Meranda, who made history on Monday, January 13, 2025, by becoming the first woman to serve as Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly since the creation of the state on May 27, 1967, currently hangs in the balance.

Lagos State APC leaders have reportedly arrived at a workable solution to the festering leadership crisis in the state House of Assembly sequel to the removal of Hon Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker on January 13, 2025.

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

The party leaders had however during the meeting held in Lagos last weekend come up with three key resolutions;

(1)–That former Speaker Obasa’s removal is final and irreversible

(2)– That the current Speaker, Hon Mojisola Meranda should step down and revert to her previous position of Deputy Speaker.

(3)–That a new Speaker should be chosen from Lagos West Senatorial District in the interest of justice, fairness, and equity in the state.

Based on these new permutations, the names of a number of state legislators from Lagos West have been flying around as the most likely replacement for Hon. Mojisola Meranda, who is expected to step down anytime soon irrespective of the outcome of the ongoing suit filed by Obasa to challenge his removal.

In the last couple of days, names like Hon. David Setonji from Badagry Constituency, Hon. Temitope Adewale from Ifako Ijaiye Constituency, Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu from Ikeja Constituency 2 and four others, all from Lagos West, have been doing the rounds in the media as likely replacement. 

They have since come under scrutiny and factors that stand against their candidacies are being highlighted by stakeholders in the party.

However, latest information at our disposal has it that these popular lawmakers already have several factors currently working against their emergence as the next Speaker of the House of Assembly.

1)– Hon. Setonji David (Badagry Constituency 2) . He is a third term legislator and one of the two ranking lawmakers from Lagos West. He is also currently the Chief Whip of the House, a status he attained  simply because he participated actively in the removal of the former Speaker and the installation of Meranda as  Speaker.

On the surface, he appears to be in the front row as a mostly likely successor, but there are so many factors currently working against his candidacy among the Party leadership and house members as well.

 Firstly, he is said to lack the necessary charisma and leadership acumen  required of the Speaker of Lagos State. According to the assessment made by those in the know, he has a laid-back and very uninspiring personality. Also, his intellectual capacity and ability to take effective decisions are also rated  below par.

Also noted about Setonji is his mediocre performance as the Deputy Whip of the House under Obasa.

Beyond all of these, a major political factor against Hon. David Setonji is his role as a major player in the January 13th impeachment plot,  a move that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has openly described as a ‘COUP’.

In the eyes of party stakeholders and custodians of APC in Lagos and Abuja, this act obviously puts a question mark on his loyalty to the overall interest of the Party and the Assembly as an institution. It also undermines the authority of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the leader of the party, bringing the Party leadership to a conclusion that such an individual cannot be trusted with the number three position in the state. 

Apart from all these, there is also the question of his nationality and place of birth.  It is alleged that, contrary to his claim and popular belief, Hon. Setonji is actually from Benin Republic and not Badagry. 

Key stakeholders opine that it would be politically disastrous to feature anyone who is not originally from Lagos State as the Speaker right now, taking into consideration the current clamour for political recognition among the original Awori indigenes of Lagos. 

 These and more are some of the factors currently said to be standing against the emergence of Setonji as the next speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

2)–Hon. Temitope Adewale (Ifako Ijaiye Constituency 01), 

He is popularly called JAH and he is a second term legislator who is currently the Majority Leader of the House of Assembly. A position he attained (like Setonji) as compensation  for his active participation in the ‘legislative coup’ of January 13  that led to the emergence of Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda as Speaker.

Given his pedigree as a highly ambitious individual, his name has also been flying around as a possible replacement for Meranda. 

However, some of the odds currently against JAH  are his perceived narcissistic, manipulative, and chameleonic tendencies. 

He is reputed for his uncanny ability to often conceal his actual intentions in order to trick others into taking wrong actions, expecting the outcome to be in his favor. For example, shortly after the January 13th, JAH was said to have deftly moved to clinch the position of Majority Leader in order to position himself as the highest ranking Principal Officer from Lagos West, knowing full well from the onset that Meranda’s Speakership would soon crumble, being from Lagos Central  like the governor. 

Another factor currently making his candidacy looking like a  dead-on-arrival ambition among some lawmakers and party leadership is the fact that he was a key figure among those who plotted the January 13th  insurrection that plunged the state into a political turmoil.  It was Jah who allegedly used Tinubu’s name to gaslight other lawmakers into believing it was the President who ordered Obasa’s removal, a claim many lawmakers later discovered to be false. 

At the moment Security report on him and others are  said to be very ‘negative’.

These are some of the factors currently standing against the Ifako Ijaiye lawmaker right now, coupled with the fact that he is a known personal friend of the governor, meaning that his loyalty to the Party leadership and the independence of the legislative arm cannot be guaranteed under a JAH’s Speakership. 

Apart from these, it would be very difficult to enthrone a second term lawmaker over a house that parades competent third – and fourth term legislators. 

3–Hon. Damola Richard Kasunmu (Ikeja Constituency 2), also known as ARK of Lagos, is currently the Deputy Majority Leader of the House.

 His name has also featured prominently among the list of top Speakership contenders in the last couple of days. 

A third term lawmaker and a vibrant legislator.

 He is the grandson of the late Market legend,  Alhaja Abibatu a  nephew to  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

However, his family affinity with the President is considered as a major factor standing against him in the race. Even though he is said to be well qualified and competent for the job on his own merit as a result of his 10 years experience in the parliament, and also being a third term Lagos West lawmaker like Setonji, sources close to the Party leadership disclosed that featuring him as the new Speaker might strengthen the false narrative of nepotism against the President. 

Apart from these, some of the lawmakers are said to be against his emergence as a result of his closeness to former Speaker Obasa, a scenario believed to be the reason behind the circulation of various negative reports about him in the media in the last couple of days.  There are other Lagos West lawmakers in the race from Alimosho,  Amuwo Odofin, Mushin and others, but happenings in the coming days will determine where the pendulum will swing-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 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you