He will be in history as one of the longest serving speakers of the house of assembly in Lagos and Nigeria.
A long time lawmaker, an aspiring senator and one who feels like eating from his master’s pot by 2027. All of these became a dream in one night and might not be realised anymore.
It is a story of a recently impeached speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, who embraced humanity to achieve much but fell because he lust after pride.
His political diplomacy is zero for a man of his status to be flaunting his ambition even when the coast looks so unclear. He is not a good student of intrigues of politics in Lagos.
There is no height a man attains that pride cannot bring down. The Holy Bible puts it succinctly that the eyes of God is far away from a proud heart.
The same God sees the humble in his low estate and will always lift him from the miry clay to set his feet on a very high mountain that is higher than him.
I have one unpalatable experience with the impeached Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, and from that day I began to pray for him to change so that he would not join the list of Lagos top officials that would be humiliated out of office.
Lagos politicians have a way of doing things. Perhaps they had learnt this from their mentor, the former governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is presently the president of the country.
Those who are holding the fort for Tinubu since he moved his logic to the federal level have since perfected the strategy to change officials who would not carry out the party order or who had disjointed humanity, respect and the virtue of “Omoluabi” from the office they occupy.
Obasa, despite his long years of service and romance with the power that be, failed as a student of Lagos politics, to learn from those who fell before him.
From 1999, when the gate to the deputy governor Mrs. Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele was shut after she was impeached to the exit of another deputy governor, Mr. Femi Pedro and a speaker Jokotola Pelumi, impeachment process has been impeccable in Lagos.
It has always been a palace coup, methodically carried out with lesser noise.
Back to my experience. I joined the entourage of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos Council to monitor the last general election of 2023 across the metropolis.
The crisscross allowed journalists to get firsthand information from candidates and electorate and our movement included a visit to Obasa’s polling unit in Agege.
Of all candidates that we visited their units, including the state Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Lagos Island, only Obasa refused to speak to journalists.
He voted and left the polling units with his scores of praise singers. He refused to speak to journalists. We followed him to his house, perhaps he would speak, he never did. His Chief Press Secretary, Eromosele Ebhomele, later came to tell us after a long-wait that the speaker was busy and would not attend to any reporter. Obasa is a Lord in Agege.
We eagerly needed his views to make a good report but he declined. Eromosele later sent out press statement, which he posted on his Facebook page for whoever cares to read or use for reportage.
Apart from his high handedness and lack of respect to his co-lawmakers, Obasa suddenly became an emperor who used uncouth languages to debase the office of the state governor.
When asked if he would be contesting for the state governor in 2027, the sacked speaker did not limit his response to either “Yes or No”, he said he was qualified more than those that are there now.
He moved further to expose his pride when the governor and members of the Governance Advisory Council gathered at the assembly chamber to present the 2025 appropriation bill.
He refused to receive them, instead he sat comfortably in his office and showed up later to begin the programme. There were echoes of disapproval of him at the chamber on that day. That was the day his cup was almost full.
Pride threw him to the ground and the plot to remove him reached the top gear. Only the meek inherits the earth not the smartest or the brightest. After his impeachment, I gathered that he would be going to Tinubu to seek reversal.
Meek people have great advantage in that only a few of their haters flip through their book of sins but when a humble soul suddenly wears the garment of pride, people will begin to investigate his past.
The GAC and the lawmakers who once threw their weight behind a humble Obasa made a U-turn when the speaker started to show attitude. Obasa irritates them and they boots him out quickly.
Like those who suffered the same fate in the past, the politicians dealt Obasa a big blow without making any media noise about it. Only seven of the 40 lawmakers voted against his Impeachment and I know they were the one who told him to leave the country before the showdown.
There is a big gap between a governor and speaker. Obasa, in spite of his legislative experience failed to understand this that every governor in Nigeria has immunity and no speaker has immunity.
No governor can be removed easily the way Obasa was removed. The lawmakers made it so easy and perfect by coming up with myriads of allegation against the sacked speaker.
Some of the allegations including Obasa’s perpetual lateness, high handedness, and incitement of members against one another.
This to the lawmakers is misconduct the house could not condone. They accused him of gross misconduct and authoritarian leadership. The motion, which cited Section 92(2)(C) of the Nigerian Constitution, alleged that the former Speaker perpetually arrived late to legislative sessions and meetings;
That he always displayed high handedness and a lack of regard for members; Abused office and privileges; Intimidated and oppressed members, inciting divisions among them; Demonstrated undemocratic and authoritarian tendencies.
They described his impeachment as necessary to restore order and democracy within the Assembly.
The motion was adopted by 32 members of the House through a voice vote, sealing Obasa’s fate after a decade-long tenure as Speaker.
According to Abiodun Tobun, representing Epe Constituency 1, the leadership change was a collective decision aimed at ensuring a more inclusive and democratic legislative process.
He said “The Lagos State House of Assembly has declared its decision to impeach Speaker Mudashiru Obasa. The impeachment was a unanimous decision by the lawmakers.
“The lawmakers agreed to take this step to safeguard our image and Lagos State. Change is inevitable, and we felt it was time for a new direction.
“All standing committees and principal officer positions have been dissolved. We are determined to work together to elevate the Assembly and deliver on our responsibilities to Lagosians.”
He explained that the Constitution empowers the Assembly to regulate its proceedings, and members reached a consensus to end Obasa’s tenure.
Obasa had been accused of financial mismanagement involving ₦44 billion allocated for vehicles and capital projects over two years.
This development has generated concerns and raised questions about transparency and accountability in the Assembly’s financial operations from critics, including lawmakers and residents.
Alleged Vehicle Allocations
A significant portion of the controversy had stemmed from the Assembly’s vehicle budget.
According to available official records on the Lagos House of Assembly Budget Performance, in 2023, ₦30.19 billion was allocated for vehicles, including official cars, utility buses, and backup vehicles. Another ₦13.33 billion was earmarked for vehicles in 2024.
However, investigations revealed that no vehicles were purchased in 2023, and only a small fraction of the 2024 allocation has been accounted for.
This lack of tangible outcomes has sparked public outrage. Residents are asking why such a massive budget for vehicles has yielded no visible results. Many are now questioning if the funds were diverted for other purposes under Speaker Obasa’s administration.
Questionable Capital Projects
Also, critics have raised questions over the financial irregularities by Obasa’s administration of allocating funds for dubious projects.
₦1.1 billion for properties in 2023: Critics argued this expenditure was excessive, particularly when essential sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure are underfunded.
₦126 million in 2024 for properties in Abuja: This allocation has raised eyebrows, with residents questioning why the state’s funds are being spent outside its jurisdiction.
₦15.65 billion for office construction in 2023 and 2024: The necessity of this project is unclear, as many Assembly offices were reportedly functional before the upgrade.
With these allegations, Obasa has something to contest in 2027 and it’s not election but court cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
His dream of becoming a senator or a governor has just been postponed until he is exonerated of all these allegations and with politics, he is in for a long ride.
Kunle Aremu is a seasoned journalist and regular columnist