The political scene in Lagos witnessed a seismic shift on Monday as Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, was impeached by 32 members of the assembly. The decision, which comes amid growing allegations of corruption and financial impropriety, marks the end of Obasa’s controversial tenure as Speaker.
The lawmakers cited gross misconduct and abuse of office as the primary reasons for their action.
Mudashiru Obasa’s fall from grace had been brewing for months, with mounting evidence of financial mismanagement under his leadership. At the heart of the controversy is an alleged misuse of funds amounting to N44 billion, allocated over the past two years for vehicles and capital projects.
A report submitted to the assembly detailed how N30.19 billion in 2023 and N13.33 billion in 2024 were budgeted for vehicles, including official cars, utility buses, and backup vehicles. However, lawmakers and civil society groups have raised questions about the whereabouts of these funds, as vehicles reportedly were not purchased in 2023, with only a fraction of the 2024 allocation accounted for.
The document also revealed questionable expenditures on properties and office construction projects.
Obasa’s impeachment reflects growing discontent within the assembly. Sources say new lawmakers, elected in 2023, joined forces with older members to challenge his financial decisions and alleged divide-and-rule tactics.
The opposition reached its peak when civil society organizations joined the fray, demanding transparency and accountability. Calls for Obasa to step down intensified as the public grew increasingly aware of the allegations.
One of the most glaring accusations against Obasa involves a N17 billion project to construct a gate for the Lagos State House of Assembly complex. Critics have labeled the expenditure as both excessive and fraudulent, questioning how such an amount could be justified for a single project.
Speaking on the matter, a senior assembly member said, “This was the tipping point. The N17 billion gate became a symbol of everything that had gone wrong under Obasa’s leadership.”
Obasa’s tenure as Speaker will likely be remembered for its controversies. From allegations of financial mismanagement to accusations of using divide-and-rule tactics to suppress dissent, his leadership faced criticism from multiple quarters.
His impeachment also comes on the heels of his alleged failure to account for several constituency projects. Lawmakers claim many of these initiatives were either poorly executed or entirely abandoned, despite receiving significant funding
