The power-play which rocked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), publicly vented an interplay of political wishes, godfatherism, legal fireworks, influence or loyalty of security operatives, and who is in-charge has seen the 49-day reign of Rt Hon Mojisola Meranda as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly (LSHA) drawn to a close.

Biztellers reports that Hon Meranda in an emotion laden speech, which was vented in the media before being read to the lawmakers, ‘voluntarily’ stepped aside to preserve the interest of the party and the House.

Immediately thereafter, the legislators reelected Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker, who went ahead to adjourn the House sine-die.

However, it has become public knowledge that what played out in the House on Monday was not unconnected to the resolutions of the mediating panel mandated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resolved the imbroglio.

ALSO READ: FULL SPEECH: Why I Stepped-Down As Speaker LSHA – Meranda

The panel was mastered by Chief Bisi Akande and Chief Olusegun Osoba, both former governors of Osun and Ogun States, respectively.

As part of their duties, they met with top APC leaders in Lagos State with a view to dousing the flames generated by Obasa’s removal on January 13, 2025 by over 30 lawmakers, who replaced him with Meranda, thus gifting the LSHA its first female Speaker.

The move, was rejected outright by Obasa, who went ahead to challenge it in the court, aligned with national and state party leaders, and coopted the security operatives to reclaim his position.

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.

The action at the floor of the house was preceded with a meeting between Obasa, Meranda, all the lawmakers and the leadership of the party in Lagos 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 carefully 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.

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

Obasa registered his gratitude to Chief Akande and Chief Osoba in dousing the flames.

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.

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.

The political horse-trading witnessed in the Lagos State House of Assembly (LSHA), which saw the impeachment of Rt Hon Mudisharu Obasa in absentia and election of Rt Hon Mojisola Meranda in his place in January has drawn to a close.

The intrigues which opened while Obasa was away in the United States, saw the interplay of party supremacy and legal fireworks and culminated in Meranda taking a bow and stepping aside as Speaker on Monday with the House reelecting Obasa as Speaker.

In her last address to the House as Speaker, Meranda made it clear that it was paramount to preserve the integrity of the Assembly.

According to her, her decision was made in the interest of democracy and to prevent further crisis within the LSHA.

ALSO READ: Obasa Returns As Lagos Assembly Speaker

In her opinion, leadership requires selfless sacrifice, while her stepping down was necessary to maintain stability.

Biztellers reports that Meranda assumed the position of Speaker on January 13, 2025, while her short tenure has gone done in history as the first female Speaker of the LSHA, remarkable for the attendant leadership arm-twisting, political horse-trading, power-play, legal fireworks and public outcry.

All these culminated with her taking a bow and stepping aside on Monday.

He resignation speech reads, “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 honor, dignity, integrity, and service as personified by my late father.

“Please permit me, dear colleagues, to restate my position as expressed in the newspaper publication, where I stated as follows: It is with heavy responsibility that I wish to resign my position as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly with effect from this day, March 3, 2025. I took this decision carefully 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.

“As good people of Lagos, our mandate is to protect the good people of Lagos State and ensure good governance.

“I feel that I have demonstrated leadership and selfless sacrifice by resigning in order to protect these resources that we have suffered to build. With your unwavering support, I take this step to step down as the Speaker of the House of Assembly.

“I cherish the solidarity that I have enjoyed and that has been given to me by my honorable members. I do not leave out the management and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly. I want to thank you for your support and collaboration.

“As short as it is, this is a memorable event. I need you to permit me to resign as the Rt. Honorable Speaker, and I shall continue to serve my good people of Apapa Constituency 1 in particular and the entire Lagos State in general.

“Thank you for finding me worthy to lead this distinguished and honourable Assembly. 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.

“Dear distinguished and gallant honourable members of this 10th Assembly, occasionally, we are confronted by overwhelming challenges and conflicts, but as responsible leaders, we must not break down the legislative House that we collectively built in pursuit of justice and fairness.

“For those who have been unfairly referred to for standing on the side of fair play, kindly take note that there will always be an opportunity to right any wrong.

“I appreciate the spectrum of solidarity that I received through phone calls, messages, and visits throughout my short tenure.

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

“At this point, I take a bow as your Speaker, and I step down as your Speaker for this great House.

“God bless you.”

The Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has congratulated the newly appointed Director–General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Nafiu Olakunle.

Biztellers reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Brig-Gen Olakunle the DG of the NYSC within the week.

The news has been greeted with cheers by Gov Adeleke who described Brig-Gen Olakunle as a fine and disciplined professional.

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He noted that his appointment to manage the affairs of one of Nigeria’s strategic organisation is a recognition of his distinguished military career.

The Governor emphasises Brig-Gen Olakunle’s capacity to achieve the mandate of NYSC by deepening national values in young people and preparing them for future endeavours, noting that the exploits of the Ile-Ogbo born officer in the military is assuring that he will excel in the new role.

In his words, “I’m extremely delighted to learn of the appointment of Brigadier-General Nafiu Olakunle as the Director–General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The appointment is an affirmation of the confidence in the capacity of Brigadier-General Olakunle, and I’m thankful to Mr. President for the opportunity given to one of Osun’s finest citizen.”

Gov Adeleke commended President Tinubu for giving yet another Osun indigene the opportunity to contribute to nation building, urged Brig-Gen Olakunle to use the appointment to positively spotlight the state by ensuring achievement of NYSC mandate.

He wishes the “NYSC DG a successful tenure, hoping that it will further move the organisation forward and bring much glory to the state”