Obasa Impeached, Mojisola Meranda Takes Over as Lagos Assembly Speaker

Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, representing Apapa I Constituency, has been sworn in as the new Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. 

Her emergence comes in the wake of the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.

Before her ascension to the speakership, Meranda served as the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. Her rise marks a significant development within the legislative body as accusations of corruption loom over her predecessor.

The impeachment of Obasa stems from various allegations, including financial misconduct and abuse of public trust. 

In December 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) received a petition from the Progressive Youth Movement of Ikeja, Lagos State. The petition accused Obasa of embezzling funds through proxy companies and bypassing procurement regulations.

According to the petition dated December 17, the Finance Management Committee had not convened since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly, enabling Obasa to make unauthorized financial decisions. It further alleged that he awarded a N469 million contract for the construction of the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat to Orgnitek Consult Limited, a company purportedly linked to his financial dealings.

Additional claims against Obasa included the alleged mismanagement of N17 billion allocated for the construction of a gate at the Lagos State House of Assembly and the approval of N200 million for a thanksgiving ceremony. Critics argued that the thanksgiving event should not have exceeded N2 million in cost.

When contacted, Obasa dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. "All this nonsense is not going to help anyone," he stated. "You claim N200 million was spent, yet you fail to consider the scale of the event, which involved an entire institution and public participation. Even if the figure is correct, is it unreasonable given today's economic climate?"

Obasa also refuted claims of using N17 billion for gate construction. "How much is the House of Assembly's allocation that I would spend N17 billion on a gate? People should at least be reasonable," he added.

The former Speaker attributed the allegations to political maneuvering as elections approached. "When elections draw near, all sorts of allegations emerge. I am not surprised by these developments," he concluded.