The speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, was impeached on Monday for gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Obasa has been a Lagos State House of Assembly speaker since 2015.
The lawmakers subsequently elected Mojisola Meranda, representative of Apapa I, as the new speaker.
Meranda, who took her oath of office immediately, would serve as the first female speaker of the Lagos legislature.
REPORTERS AT LARGE recalls that there were reports in December 2024 that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been petitioned to investigate Obasa over allegations of financial misconduct, breach of public trust, and abuse of office.
A petition filed by the Progressive Youth Movement of Ikeja, Lagos State, accuses Obasa of using proxy companies to embezzle funds from the Lagos House of Assembly and violating due process and procurement regulations.
The December 17 petition alleges that the Finance Management Committee had not met officially since the 10th Assembly was inaugurated, allowing Obasa to make unauthorised financial decisions.
The Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition previously petitioned the EFCC to investigate allegations of mismanaging N17 billion earmarked for constructing a gate at the Lagos State House of Assembly.
According to the petition, the Progressive Youth Movement alleged that the Speaker awarded a N469 million contract for the construction of the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat to Orgnitek Consult Limited, identifying it as one of the companies used to perpetrate his fraudulent activities.
The group also alleged that the Speaker approved N200 million for Thanksgiving at the Lagos State House of Assembly, saying it shouldn’t have cost more than N2 million.
SaharaReporters reported that the Speaker described the allegations as nonsensical and political.
He said: “…We should do ourselves favour, all this nonsense (unfounded allegations) is not going to help all of us at all. N200 million for a whole institution; let me break it down, a whole an institution which the members of the institution alone are almost one million people not to talk of extended invitation to the public including children’s party.
“When you consider the economic situation of today and in your own mind with your experience, do you believe that N200 million is so much to carry out such an event? I have not even agreed that it is N200 million that was spent but let me go with your figure.
“Secondly, the awarded contract – the company they mentioned, is it in my name? Do they see my name or the names of my family members as directors?
“And in the same manner I was accused of using N17 billion to construct a gate. How much is the House of Assembly allocation that I will now construct a gate at the rate of N17 billion? For the fact that you want to satisfy some people, at least they should be reasonable.”
“When the election is approaching, all manner of allegations will start coming up. So, I don’t know what you expect me to say.”
