Politics
LSHA: Obasa Optimistic Of Returning As Speaker Through Judiciary
The impeached Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly (LSHA), Mudashiru Obasa, is still nurturing high hopes of recovering his seat through the judiciary.
Obasa’s lead counsel, Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), on Tuesday, according to The PUNCH expressed readiness for the court hearing fixed for February 28, notwithstanding the moves to resolve the Assembly crisis politically.
Fashanu also explained that Obasa does not plan to return to the Assembly until after he has obtained a judgment from the court.
According to Fashanu, it could amount to an illegal step for Obasa to return to the House pending the decision of the case, which is already before a court.
Recall that Obasa was removed by the majority of lawmakers on January 13, 2025, had earlier in February dragged the new Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, and the assembly to the state High Court in Ikeja, to seek redress.
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Biztellers reports that Obasa was removed as Speaker of the House, in absentia, while he was away in the United States of America.
Upon his return to Nigeria, on January 25, he promptly rejected his removal, citing illegalities in the approach of the about 36 lawmakers who removed him.
Obasa maintains that he iss still the Speaker of the House.
He told the media on Saturday, January 25, 2025, “My status in the house? I strongly believe I am still the Speaker until the right thing has been done. If you want to remove me, remove me the proper way and I will not contest it.”
His position is that the removal process failed to comply with the extant laws.
Since Obasa’s removal and Meranda’s emergence as the new Speaker, the Lagos Assembly has been embroiled in a crisis, which has proven difficult for the influential Governors Advisory Council (GAC) to resolve.
The failure of the GAC to harmonise position on the issue of LSHA Speaker, saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu invite the intervention of former governors of Osun and Ogun states, Chief Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba, to wade in.
In this regard, the two leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held marathon meetings with the parties in the crisis from Sunday through to Monday.
Insider sources reveal that the outcome of the meeting is an counsel that the two contenders, Obasa and Meranda should make way for another lawmaker from the Lagos West Senatorial District, to emerge as Speaker.
Part of the deal, it was learnt would be to prevail on Obasa to withdraw his suit against the lawmakers.
It was further learnt that Obasa would be asked to voluntarily resign and the panel is expected to brief President Tinubu on its intervention.
On if Obasa would be withdrawing the suit in court given the intervention of the APC leaders, his lawyer, Fashanu, said he had not been briefed by his client on such a move.
“Well, that intervention, for me, is still a rumour, because nothing of such has been communicated to us, as the legal team. So, what we all read in newspapers, we don’t even know the genuineness or authenticity of the news on the purported settlement.
“Our client has not communicated anything to us in the nature of withdrawal. So, we are still preparing for the case until otherwise.”
Restating the commitment of the legal team to champion Obasa’s case, Fashanu said, “Nothing is certain in life except death. All we can say is that, as lawyers, we will try our best to facilitate the cause of our clients.
“Don’t forget that we are not the judge that will decide the case. But on our part, we will put in our maximum effort, and we believe he has a very good case. So, subject to the overriding power of the deciding judge, we are good to go.”
On whether he thinks an amicable resolution would be better than going to court, Fashanu said he was not a politician and his client was in the better position to determine such.
“Let me first of all start by saying I am not a politician. So, the political aspect of it will probably be left to the players. But our client will be in a better position to know whether the terms of settlement that are being arranged will be in his best interest.”
When asked if Obasa would wait for the court ruling before he returns to the Assembly, the counsel said as a law-abiding citizen, “I don’t believe he would like to take any step that is illegal.”
According to him, Obasa’s return to the Assembly before the matter in court is decided would be illegal.
“That means he will be taking laws into his own hands, and I don’t think he would want to do that. If he had wanted to do that, I’m sure from day two or day three, he would have done that (returning to the House),” the lawyer pointed out.
He also noted that the defendants in the suit had not filed their response.
A source close to Obasa said he would not be resigning since “it has not gotten to that level.”
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has explained that the persistent crisis and legal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party compelled him to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The governor’s defection was formally announced on Monday by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Gusau.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the move was described as a necessary step taken in the interest of the state and supported by political stakeholders across Zamfara.
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According to the statement, Governor Lawal had remained committed to the PDP despite the ongoing leadership crisis and had made several efforts to reconcile factions within the party.
However, attempts to achieve peace and unity reportedly failed, leading to prolonged legal battles.
The development followed a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court.
The earlier judgment had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The governor was said to have informed political stakeholders during a series of meetings that he would make a final decision about his political future after the appellate court delivered its ruling.
Following the judgment, Lawal concluded that joining the APC would better position him to continue what he described as the “Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild Mission.”
His defection marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Zamfara State and could influence political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
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Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
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The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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