Politics

Lagos Assembly Crisis: How Akande-led Panel Forced Meranda Out, Reinstated Obasa

Published

7 months ago

March 4, 2025

Editor

The 49-day reign of Mojisola Meranda as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly ended on Monday, when the lawmakers re-elected Mudashiru Obasa to lead them.

The move is not unconnected to the resolutions of the mediating panel led by Chief Bisi Akande and Chief Olusegun Osoba, former governors of Osun and Ogun states, who intervened in the leadership crisis that rocked the assembly for almost 50 days.

Over a week ago, the heavyweights in the All Progressives Congress, including the aforementioned former governors, were drafted by President Bola Tinubu to find a lasting solution to the Assembly leadership crisis which began when Obasa was removed by over 30 lawmakers on January 13, 2025.

Obasa was away in the United States when he was removed and replaced with his deputy, Meranda, a move that Obasa vehemently rejected, and even approached the court to challenge.

At the plenary on Monday, other principal officers elected under Meranda also resigned from their positions, including Deputy Speaker, Mojeed Fatai, and Chief Whip, Okanlawon Sani.

Before the development, Obasa, Meranda and all the lawmakers had met with the leadership of the party in the state, led by the state Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.

The state Attorney General, Lawal Pedro (SAN), was also at the meeting held outside the assembly chamber, before the plenary where Meranda officially resigned.

In her resignation speech, Meranda stated that her decision was made in the interest of democracy and to prevent further crises within the Assembly.

She emphasised that leadership required selfless sacrifice and that stepping down was necessary to maintain stability.

“I wish to let every one of you know that I have made a personal sacrifice towards resolving the leadership crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly.

“I recognise the role my family has played and continues to play in entrenching democracy, good governance, and the betterment of our people.

“I will never depart from the well-established path of honour, dignity, integrity, and service as personified by my late father,” she said.

The first female speaker in the history of the Assembly added, “I took this decision crefully and with firm consideration.

“On one hand, I accepted the position of Speaker on January 13, 2025, and on the other hand, I resigned the position as it is threatening the democracy of this House.

“I am not a quitter; however, I took this bold decision in order to save this legislative institution from further unnecessary conflict and embarrassment.

“Accordingly, I have agreed to yet again make a personal sacrifice by stepping down as the Speaker of this great Assembly.”

According to Meranda, the party is supreme.

“I sincerely thank you for your understanding and support, just as we know that party decisions are supreme,” she said.

Obasa, who took a fresh oath of office as the Speaker, pledged to Lagos residents that the assembly would continue to make laws for the progress of the state.

He appreciated the intervention of Akande and Osoba in resolving the crisis.

He said, “We want to assure Lagosians that we have resolved and determined to serve their interest and protect their interest always.

“Our major responsibility is to represent them and that’s what we have been doing.

“What is happening here today shows that the Lagos State House of Assembly is capable and is a House of integrity. It is a house that has an internal mechanism to resolve issues in the interest of the institution and our party.

“Today is not the day for speech making but to celebrate my colleagues and thank them for all they have been doing. I am sure we will continue to work together in peace, love and harmony.”

Obasa thereafter adjourned the plenary indefinitely.

Report had it earlier that part of the resolutions of the Akande-led panel who met with members of the Governance Advisory Council, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the lawmakers at Marina, was for Obasa to also resign after being re-elected as Speaker.

A GAC member, Chief Muraina Taiwo, who was at the meeting and spoke with The PUNCH in February, said that “The APC leaders, including Chief Bisi Akande and Chief Olusegun Osoba, came to mediate.

“They will go back to Abuja to brief our leader (Tinubu) how they feel about everything. They are suggesting to Speaker Obasa that he should step down and the other woman (Meranda) to also step down and they will bring in another new person.

“They are thinking of submitting a few names but all will land at the table of the leader.”

Another top source in the APC in the state had also said, “Meranda will step down and Obasa will also step down. They will now pick someone else from Lagos West.

“Lagos West is the largest senatorial zone in Lagos. The lawmakers seem to have agreed, otherwise, there won’t be peace.

“Part of the understanding is that the case the man (Obasa) took to court, he will withdraw it as well.”

However, it is not certain if the resolution still subsists, or if Obasa would resign anytime soon.

The GAC member, Chief Muraina, when asked about it in a telephone interview on Monday, said it was left for Obasa to resign or not, adding that the party was, however, in support of his return to the House as Speaker.

Chief Muraina said, “The whole party is in support. You can see the resignation address of the former Speaker. She did it wholeheartedly and she abided by the decision of the party.”

When asked if Obasa would be resigning, he said, “That is his own personal decision, If he chooses to resign tomorrow, fine, if he insists on staying on the seat, it’s left to him.

“Resignation is not by force unless a directive comes from the party’s leadership. For now, I don’t see him resigning. The party has not decided that he should resign.”

Another GAC member, Anthony Adefuye, said the party had allowed peace to reign in the House.

He said the resolution of the leadership crisis was due to the intervention of many people.

“Many of us intervened. We are happy and glad that the whole thing has been settled. Let us allow peace.

“God has given us a President, let us also behave like people who have a President, and let the town be peaceful,” the GAC member said.

The APC Chairman in Lagos, Cornelius Ojelabi, commenting on the development in an interview with The PUNCH, expressed satisfaction with the resolution of the House leadership crisis.

When asked about the resolution of the party that Obasa was to resign after Meranda, Cornelius said, “That (the current situation) is where the party resolved it for now. That’s where we resolved it.”

When quizzed further if Obasa would no longer be resigning, he said, “No, that’s where we resolved it. We just want peace in the House generally.

“The kind of harmonious relationship that existed among them before in the House, we want to try as much as possible to bring it back.”

In a statement released by the APC, signed by its spokesperson in the state, Seye Oladejo, the party congratulated Lagosians and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly and general members of the APC for finding an amicable solution to the rift within the House of Assembly.

Oladejo said the crux of the disagreement which had been mainly to draw the attention of the public and the party to intractable internal issues “stretched the well-tested and trusted internal conflict resolution mechanism of the party.”

He said, “As a truly democratic party, we refrained from needless interference in the affairs of the legislature whose independence we hold in high esteem.

“However, the House deferred to the party when the conflict festered and defied all suggestions for settlement.

“We want to put it on record that the members of the House officially briefed the party about the untoward development and requested wise counsel from the party just a few days ago.”

He said the party met with all the members and proffered practical solutions which were sacrificial, stabilising and in the best interest of the state.

“You may wish to note that our role remained basically advisory and could only be binding if upheld in the hallowed chamber of the House of Assembly,” he added.

(PUNCH)

Politics

Why I Refused To Challenge Emergency Rule – Fubara

Published

3 days ago

September 20, 2025

Editor

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has explained why he resisted the pressure from his supporters to challenge the emergency rule declared in the state by President Bola Tinubu, saying his decision was guided by a desire to secure peace, stability, and progress for the people.

Fubara stated this on Friday during a statewide broadcast after his return to the state following the expiration of the emergency rule.

The governor and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Edison Ehie, arrived at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, two days after President Bola Tinubu lifted the state of emergency imposed on the state and ordered his reinstatement.

Their aircraft with number 5N-BTX touched down at 12:15 pm and they were received to a heroic welcome.

On the ground to receive Governor Fubara were several of his supporters, including a former Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah; former Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh; former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Orji Ngofa; former Commissioner for Environment, Sydney Gbara; and former factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo.

Others present were former Commissioner for Youths, Chisom Gbali; former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Evans Bipi; former President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese; former Commissioner for Education, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja; as well as former council chairmen of Port Harcourt City, Ezebunwo Ichemati, among others.

President Tinubu, on Wednesday, announced an end to the emergency rule, which ended the six-month tenure of ex-naval chief, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), as Rivers State sole administrator.

Rivers State has faced one of Nigeria’s fiercest political crises, pitting Fubara against his predecessor and FCT minister, Nyesom Wike.

Once allies, their fallout over control of state structures and resources split the House of Assembly, sparking impeachment moves, protests, and violence, including the burning of the Assembly complex.

President Tinubu intervened with a peace deal, which failed to calm frayed nerves, before the declaration of emergency rule.

In a statement on the cessation of the emergency rule on Wednesday, made available by the Presidency, the President said, “The Governor, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the speaker, Martins Amaewhule, will resume work in their offices from September 18, 2025.

“It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today (Wednesday).”

Fubara was expected to resume on Thursday as many of his supporters thronged the gate of the Government House along Azikiwe Street, Port Harcourt, as early as 6am on Thursday, but the governor failed to resume.

On Thursday, at its first plenary after six months, the state House of Assembly called on the governor to immediately forward the list of commissioner-nominees to it for screening and confirmation.

The plenary was presided over by Speaker Martin Amaewhule at the Conference Hall of the Legislative Quarters in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

The Assembly also called on the governor to submit the Rivers State Appropriation Bill, while noting that members would review how funds were spent during the six months of emergency rule.

In a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Martins Wachukwu, the Assembly gave details of the resolution.

The statement read, “Returning from a six-month emergency rule induced by the political impasse in the state in the recent past, the Rivers State House of Assembly, on Thursday, at its first legislative sitting, through a motion, set the legislative agenda for the remaining part of the third season of the 10th Assembly.”

The statement indicated that the House Leader, Major Jack, on behalf of eight co-sponsors, in a motion, averred that the House considered it imperative to set the agenda to reflect current realities, while House members, in their contributions to the debate on the motion, applauded the motion and expressed support for all the prayers therein.

Addressing the state, Fubara described the emergency rule period as “enormously challenging” but said he willingly abided by the declaration to allow room for peace to be restored.

“As your governor, I accepted to abide by the state of emergency declaration and chose to cooperate with Mr President and the National Assembly, guided by my conviction that the sacrifice was not too great to secure peace, stability, and progress of Rivers State.

“This was why I also resisted the pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the declaration of the state of emergency, the suspension of democratic institutions and all other actions that we endured during the difficult period,” he said.

The governor commended President Tinubu for brokering a peace deal between all parties involved in the crisis, noting that the intervention helped reconcile him, Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“Our leader, Nyesom Wike, all members of Rivers State House of Assembly, and I as your governor have all accepted to bury the hatchet and embrace peace and reconciliation in the best interest of our dear state,” Fubara said.

Expressing gratitude to Tinubu, the governor reaffirmed his loyalty to the president, promising never to take his intervention for granted. He also appealed to residents who remain sceptical about the peace process.

“To those who have expressed genuine fear, frustration and uncertainty over the nature of the peace process, I assure you that your concerns are valid and understood.

“However, nothing has been irretrievably lost. There remain ample opportunities for necessary adjustments, continued reconciliation, and inclusiveness,” Fubara assured.

Fubara, however, charged political leaders, stakeholders, and institutions in the state to ensure that the peace achieved endures.

Fubara noted that with peace restored, his administration’s focus would now return fully to governance and service delivery.

‘Bond with Rivers continues’

Speaking shortly after he arrived at the Government House, Port Harcourt, the governor assured the people of the state that his government would continue to work in their best interest.

He expressed his gratitude to the people and residents of the state for the warm reception he received earlier at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in IKwerre local government area of the state.

However, no prominent politician loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike or any of his known supporters were present at the airport to welcome the governor.

Meanwhile, at the Government House, Port Harcourt, thousands were already jubilating when the news of the governor’s arrival at the airport became public knowledge.

The celebration changed into singing and dancing as musical bands supplied appropriate tunes to sustain the tempo as the governor’s convoy drove into the abode where he had been absent for the last six months.

Right inside the Government House, the atmosphere was also electric as workers also celebrated the governor’s return.

Fubara immediately inspected some offices and facilities in the seat of power before answering questions from the Government House press crew, where he expressed happiness with the show of love by the people and residents of the state.
(PUNCH)

Politics

Nigeria Sliding Into One-party State – Catholic Bishops Warn

Published

3 days ago

September 20, 2025

Editor

Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have raised the alarm over what they described as the suppression of opposition voices, warning that Nigeria is gradually sliding into a one-party state.

The bishops expressed this concern in a communiqué issued at the end of the plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria held in Akwa Ibom State, which ended on Friday.

The communiqué was signed by the Archbishop of Owerri and President, CBCN, Lucius Ugorji; and Bishop of Uromi and Secretary, CBCN, Donatus Ogun.

The bishops cautioned politicians against pushing the nation towards a one-party state which they argued is unhealthy for democracy.

The bishops expressed dismay at the growing preoccupation of politicians with securing and retaining power ahead of the 2027 general elections, rather than delivering good governance.

They noted that this obsession with political dominance had fuelled corruption, inefficiency, and the neglect of citizens’ welfare.

The bishops further criticised political defections, alignments and realignments, describing them as self-serving moves by politicians with little intention to serve the people.

The communiqué read, “In the face of many live threats, politicians are more preoccupied with securing and retaining power and less concerned with good governance for the common good of the electorate.

“Abandoning their duties, they seem more concerned with the pursuit of their personal political agenda and perfecting strategies to grasp power in 2027.

“In fact, there seems to be suppression of opposition as Nigeria appears to be tilting to a one-party state, the development of which is not a good omen for democracy.

“We observe that many politicians are merely strategising, aligning and realigning, defecting from one party to another; and posturing for future political offices with little or no intention to contribute to the common good and make better the lives of the citizens.”

Ahead of the 2027 elections, the bishops demanded electoral reforms that should not only ensure electronic transmission of results from the polling units, but also their electronic collation in real time.

They also urged the judiciary to remain impartial in electoral matters, stressing that judicial credibility was vital to national stability.

Politics

Edo PDP Urges Police To Steer Clear From LG By-election

Published

4 days ago

September 19, 2025

Editor

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Friday called on the state police command
not to lend any form of support, deployment, cover, or legitimacy to Saturday’s bye election.

On Tuesday, an Edo State High Court sitting in Benin restrained the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission and the state government from going ahead with planned local government by-elections across 59 wards in the state.

In the court papers made available to journalists on Thursday in Benin, the Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice was also a party to the suit.

Justice Mary Itsueli, sitting as a vacation judge, granted the order on Tuesday following an ex-parte motion brought by the Peoples Democratic Party.

The PDP, through its counsels, Oluwole Osaze Uzzi, Michael Ekwemuka and P. W. Akwuen, in the suit, B/247M/2025, had prayed the court for leave to apply for judicial review of EDSIEC’s decision to conduct by-elections to fill councillorship positions in the affected wards.

The party argued that the councillors’ tenures remain valid until September 2026, making any attempt to declare their seats vacant unlawful.

Justice Itsueli, who held that the applicants had shown sufficient grounds for the court to intervene, also referred the matter to the Chief Judge of Edo State for reassignment to a regular court, fixing September 30, 2025, for the return date.

In a letter by the PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi to the state Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika on Friday , he described the election as an illegal exercise.

The statement reads, “I write on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party, Edo State Chapter, to bring to your attention and emphasize the subsisting order of the High Court of Edo State restraining the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission and the Edo State Government from conducting any purported Local Government by-elections in 59 wards across the state.

“On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, Justice Mary E. Itsueli, sitting as a vacation judge of the Edo State High Court, granted an order in Suit No. B/247M/2025, restraining EDSIEC and the State Government from going ahead with the planned by-elections.

“The Honourable Court further held that the tenures of the duly elected councilors in the affected wards subsist until September 2026, and therefore, any attempt to declare their seats vacant or to conduct fresh elections would be unlawful and unconstitutional.

“The Court categorically ordered that the Respondents “are to stay further actions and are restrained from conducting the election or taking any further steps in connection with the planned Local Government by-election across 59 wards in the Local Government Areas of Edo State, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.”

“The substantive matter has since been referred to the Honourable Chief Judge for assignment to a regular court, with a return date fixed for September 30, 2025.

“In the light of the foregoing, we respectfully call on your esteemed office to refrain from lending any form of support, deployment, cover, or legitimacy to this illegal exercise. Any participation by security agencies in the purported elections would amount to aiding and abetting contempt of court and undermining the rule of law.

“We trust that, as neutral institutions of state committed to upholding law and order, you will ensure that your men and officers do not participate in or provide security for this unlawful process. The integrity of our democracy, the sanctity of judicial pronouncements, and the credibility of security institutions must be preserved.

“Copies of the court order are attached here in,” he added.