By Ghazali Ibrahim 
In a dramatic tale and politically turn of events in Lagos State, Mojisola Meranda, the first female Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has resigned from her position.
Meranda, who represents Apapa Constituency I, announced her resignation during a plenary session, citing her commitment to the rules and regulations of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lawmakers praised Meranda’s leadership style and her efforts to bring peace to the Assembly, which has been embroiled in a leadership crisis for the past seven weeks. In a surprising move, Meranda was immediately re-elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
Following Meranda’s resignation, Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted Speaker who represents Agege Constituency I, was re-elected as the new Speaker of the Assembly. Obasa had been removed from his position on January 13, 2025, over allegations of misconduct and sundry offenses.
The leadership shake-up didn’t stop there. Mojeed Fatai, the Deputy Speaker of the House, resigned and was re-elected as the Chief Whip of the Assembly. Setonji David, the Chief Whip of the Assembly, also resigned and was re-elected as the Deputy Chief Whip of the house. Additionally, Okanlawon Sanni, a member of the House from Kosofe Constituency I, tendered his resignation as the Deputy Chief Whip of the House.
The leadership crisis in the Assembly began on January 13, 2025, when Obasa was removed as Speaker by more than two-thirds of the 40-member house. Meranda was then elected as the new Speaker, becoming the first female to hold the position in the South-West state.
However, Obasa rejected his removal and insisted that he remained the Speaker until the right thing had been done. He faulted the militarization of the assembly complex during the impeachment process and claimed his removal as speaker took place in his absence — when he was out of Nigeria.
Despite Obasa’s rejection, 36 lawmakers loyal to Meranda insisted that Obasa’s removal was final and that Meranda remained the speaker of the House.
The crisis took a turn for the worse on February 17, 2025, when security agents and some legislative workers clashed over the presence of the former in the hallowed chambers. Thereafter, thirty-six of the lawmakers passed a vote of confidence in an emotional Meranda and adjourned sitting indefinitely.
On February 27, 2025, Obasa showed up at the Assembly Complex and was chaperoned by a retinue of armed, stern-looking uniformed security operatives as he walked into the hallowed chambers. Obasa insisted that he remained the speaker of the House despite protests by his colleagues who rejected his leadership and pledged loyalty to Meranda.
With Obasa’s re-election as Speaker, the leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly appears to have come to an end. However, the implications of this development are yet to be seen.
