President Tinubu reportedly reinstated Obasa to humble Governor Sanwo-Olu.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu allegedly disclosed that he intervened in the reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly after detecting the influence of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration in Obasa’s impeachment.
Sources present at the meeting between Tinubu and Lagos lawmakers on Wednesday revealed to SaharaReporters that the President was concerned about Sanwo-Olu’s level of influence in the impeachment process.
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A source said Tinubu reportedly found it troubling that the executive branch was heavily involved in deciding who should lead the Assembly.
“At the meeting, President Tinubu explained that the reason why Obasa escaped impeachment was because he saw the indelible fingerprints of the Lagos executive led by Sanwo-Olu in the Speaker’s removal, and he found it unsettling why the executive would be interested in who should emerge as the Speaker,” a source familiar with the discussion said.
The meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, was attended by Obasa, Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda, and other lawmakers.
The crisis began on January 13, when Obasa was impeached over allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement. Lawmakers initially celebrated his removal as a win for accountability. However, behind-the-scenes pressure from APC leaders—backed by Tinubu—led to his controversial reinstatement on March 3.
Meranda, who briefly took over as Speaker after Obasa’s removal, was forced to step down under pressure from party leaders. She was later compensated with the Deputy Speaker position, though many lawmakers remain upset over what they see as Tinubu’s interference.
During the meeting, Tinubu reportedly criticized Obasa for arriving late.
“The Speaker was lambasted for coming late as always. The President spent the first 10 minutes dressing him down,” a source disclosed.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Tinubu urged lawmakers to accept Obasa’s return as Speaker. He also directed Obasa to withdraw his court cases challenging his impeachment.
“The President pleaded that we should allow the Speaker to return as the Speaker. And he directed the Speaker (Obasa) to go and withdraw his legal applications from the court,” a source said.
Additionally, Tinubu ruled that all principal officers and committee chairmen should remain in their positions. However, the issue of the House Clerk remained unresolved, with lawmakers divided between former Clerk Olalekan Onafeko, favored by Obasa, and current Clerk Taiwo Ottun, preferred by the majority. Tinubu advised that the court should decide on the matter.