Arise TV host, Reuben Abati has highlighted some reasons that might have led to the impeachment of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa.
Speaking on the Arise Morning show on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Abati in his submission indicated that Obasahas breached several protocols in the house and had at some point been disrespectful to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“And then there are reports that the governor will want something, he will not listen to the governor. He will arrive late at events that the governor will have arrived earlier than him which is a breach of protocol. So there’s that flaw of character. The argument is that he had become so disrespectful of the governor and the power establishment in Lagos State that they felt they needed to do something about him, Abati said in his submission.
All the House of Assembly members who wanted him removed said he wanted change, and that they were tired of him. That must have been a failure on his own part. And they didn’t even do it in his presence. He was far away in Atlanta, Georgia. They left him stranded, removed his pictures, impeached him, and they said even the president tried to talk to him. The president was not impressed. So he had it coming.”
Multiple sources confirmed that the lawmakers removed Obasa during a sitting on Monday after 90 per cent of the House backed the motion.
The Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, was subsequently sworn in as the new and first female Speaker of the Assembly.
In a viral video, a lawmaker, flanked by other members of the Assembly, said, “It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable. Members of the parliament today have decided to change the leadership of the House. The Constitution makes it clear that the House has the power to regulate its proceedings.
Meanwhile, The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, distanced himself from the impeachment of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa.
Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, in an interview with The PUNCH, described Obasa’s impeachment as a strict legislative affair devoid of politics or the state government’s influence or interference.