The impeached Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has insisted that his removal must follow due process, the same way he was appointed. Obasa made this assertion during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday evening, hours after he stormed the Assembly complex, declared himself Speaker, and presided over a controversial plenary session attended by only four lawmakers.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
Speaking during the interview, Obasa stated that while he was not opposed to being removed, it must be done in accordance with the rules of the House.
“First, we were on recess. A motion was moved by the Majority Leader to adjourn till February 18, and it was properly seconded. After that, I traveled on an official trip to the U.S. Congress and was also scheduled to attend another program in Canada for some members of the House.”
“According to the rules of the House, only the Speaker can reconvene a sitting. The Majority Leader, the Clerk, and the Speaker must be involved in the process. If this was not done, then it is null and void. If the House followed a process to elect me as Speaker, then they must follow the same process to remove me,” he argued.
Obasa further claimed that Mojisola Meranda, who was named as his replacement, had voluntarily resigned following a peace meeting with the state’s party leadership. According to him, her decision to step down led to the withdrawal of her security detail.
“There was a meeting at the Lagos House in Marina, attended by all party leaders and House members. During that meeting, Meranda openly declared that she had stepped down and resigned. When someone resigns, the paraphernalia of the office is naturally taken away,” Obasa stated.
However, despite claiming that Meranda had resigned, Obasa refused to acknowledge his own removal. When asked whether he had also resigned as part of the peace arrangement, he challenged his opponents to produce any resignation letter bearing his signature.
“Let them present my resignation letter. And if I had resigned, would I still be here? I’m sure you’d still be addressing me as Speaker,” he insisted.
Responding to speculations that his impeachment stemmed from his ambition to become Governor of Lagos State or a strained relationship with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Obasa dismissed such claims as baseless.
“It is not a sin to have ambition—let’s correct that. Secondly, the Governor is my brother, my leader, and my everything. I have no reason to disrespect him. If I ever acted in a way that seemed disrespectful, it was unintentional. The Governor is number one in our state,” he affirmed.
Also, when questioned directly about the court case contesting his removal, if he should not allow the court to decide his fate, Obasa stated: “We have a case standing in the court. It has nothing to do about removal.” However, when pressed for details, he deflected, saying: “I’m a lawyer but I’m not a practicing one, so we’ll consult the lawyers.”
The embattled lawmaker, who dramatically returned to the Assembly complex on Thursday with security personnel in tow, maintained throughout the interview that proper constitutional procedures were not followed in his removal.
“I’ve never been removed from office and I’m not against removal, but if you are going to do that, you must follow the rules of the house,” Obasa insisted. “It is constitutional to impeach and remove, it’s very constitutional since we practice constitutional democracy, so then you have to follow the dictation of the Constitution.”
Obasa emphasized that any attempt to remove him must adhere to the standing rules adopted by Southwest Houses of Assembly, questioning how lawmakers could “disregard the laws we made by ourselves.”
TheNigeriaLawyer recalls that the lawmaker had dragged the Assembly and the new Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, before a State High Court in Ikeja, claiming that the lawmakers were wrong to have removed him when the Assembly was on recess.
In a motion dated February 12, 2025, Obasa, through his counsel led by Chief Afolabi Fashanu, SAN, had sought an order from the court for an accelerated hearing of the suit.
Obasa, who was out of the country, had been removed as the Lagos Assembly speaker on January 13, 2025, by 36 lawmakers.
He had challenged his removal upon return to the country, declaring that he remained the speaker.
Among the relief sought by the lawmaker had included an order of the court fixing a date for the expeditious hearing of the originating summons, and abridging the time within which the defendants might file their response by way of counter-affidavits/written addresses to seven days after the hearing and determination of the application.
In the motion filed at the court on Friday, Obasa had also sought an order of the court abridging the time within which the plaintiff might file its reply of points of law to three days.
The embattled lawmaker’s application had been predicated on nine grounds, among which was the interpretation of sections 36; 90; 92(2)(c); 101 and 311 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As amended) vis-à-vis Order V, Rule 18(2) and Order II, Rule 9(1)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) of Rules and Standing Order of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Part of the motion had read, “This action challenges the constitutionality of the sitting and proceedings of the Lagos State House of Assembly to sit during recess without the Speaker reconvening the House or giving any other person powers to reconvene the House.
“Public interest requires the case to be heard and determined speedily and expeditiously so that legislative activities in the state are not stalled.
“The legality of the continued sitting of the 1st defendant under the present leadership in violation of the aforementioned laws and rules calls for an urgent determination.
“This Honourable Court is imbued with inherent powers to grant accelerated hearing and abridgment of time.”
However, a date had not been fixed for the suit as of the time of filing that report.
Meanwhile, Obasa’s defiance was on full display earlier on Thursday when he arrived at the Assembly complex with heavy security presence, forcibly entered the chamber, and declared himself Speaker, despite the Assembly’s decision to impeach him.
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
Reimagine your practice with the power of AI “...this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic.” — Ohio Books Ltd
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., ACIArb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director, Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
Bonus:
Get a FREE eBook titled “How to Use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion” with every purchase.
How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access directly online at: https://selar.com/prv626
_______________________________________________________________________ [A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
______________________________________________________________________
“Bridging Theory And Courtroom Practice” — Hagler Sunny Okorie, Nathaniel Ngozi Ikeocha Unveil ‘Functional’ Tort Law Book For Nigerian Legal System
The book, titled The Law of Torts in Nigeria: A Functional Approach, authored by Professor Hagler Sunny Okorie Ph.D and Ikeocha, Nathaniel Ngozi Esq, offers law students, practitioners, and academics a comprehensive guide to understanding and applying tort law in Nigerian courts. Interested buyers can place orders via the following contact numbers: 08028636615, 08037667945, 08032253813, or +234 902 196 2209.
