Following the leadership crisis that engulfed the Lagos State House of Assembly, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday met with Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and other lawmakers behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to resolve the dispute.
At the end of the peace meeting, sources revealed that Tinubu insisted Obasa should remain as Speaker while cautioning him to carry his colleagues along in legislative affairs. The President also reportedly directed Obasa to withdraw the court case concerning his impeachment.
Obasa arrived at the Presidential Villa around 2:50 pm and was separately led to Tinubu’s office, while his colleagues, transported in two Coaster buses, had arrived earlier. Security operatives ushered the lawmakers into the President’s office complex for the closed-door discussion.
Though the official agenda of the meeting was not disclosed to journalists, sources confirmed that it was convened to address the lingering crisis over Obasa’s impeachment and subsequent reinstatement.
Emerging from the meeting around 4:30 pm, some of the lawmakers expressed their loyalty to the President by singing “On your mandate, we shall stand,” a political slogan popular among Tinubu’s supporters. The chant echoed across the forecourt of the Presidential Villa as they headed toward their awaiting buses.
Despite attempts by journalists to get a statement, Speaker Obasa declined to speak on the outcome of the meeting. He was accompanied out of the Villa by a House of Representatives member, James Faleke, who, when asked about the meeting, simply responded, “It went well.”
Unconfirmed reports suggested that some lawmakers had apologised to Obasa over his impeachment, a development that indicated a resolution of the crisis.
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity, described the meeting as a peace parley, stating that the President had resolved the matter in Obasa’s favour.
“Obasa is staying, and we have no choice but to obey the President. The meeting was more of a family meeting,” the lawmaker said.
When asked if Tinubu had reprimanded lawmakers who initiated Obasa’s impeachment, the source responded, “No, it was more of a family matter. Mr President condemned Obasa’s decision not to engage with us. However, he said that since we did not inform him about the impeachment and only Obasa reported the matter to him, he had no choice but to support him.”
The source further revealed that Tinubu issued a stern warning to Obasa: “He also warned him that if there were any future complaints from any quarters, he would be gone. The President said he should let peace reign; and so, based on that, we have accepted.”
On the pending legal case, the source confirmed that Tinubu ordered its withdrawal: “The President has instructed him to withdraw it.”
Obasa was impeached by some lawmakers amid internal disputes within the Assembly but was reinstated on March 3, 2025, following the intervention of top political stakeholders, including leaders of the All Progressives Congress and the influential Lagos State Governance Advisory Council.
Despite his reinstatement, tensions reportedly remain among the lawmakers, with the impeachment episode still casting a shadow over legislative proceedings. However, with Tinubu’s intervention and directives, it appears the crisis is nearing resolution.
