LAGOS ASSEMBLY CRISIS: How Obasa’s reinstatement killed democracy on March 3rd – Gen Olanrewaju

By KEMI KASUMU

The All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Spokesperson in Lagos State, Seye Oladejo, has found his voice again on the wrong side of justice and fair play, says Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd),
Former Minister of Communications and Alternate Chairman of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation.

He was reacting to a denial by Seye Oladejo, an Ibadan, Oyo State indigene occupant of office as APC Publicity Secretary in the state who, after luring aggrieved lawmakers into accepting a “return and resign” arrangement that saw Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa reinstated as Speaker, came out to deny existence of such portion in agreement reached with the party.

General Olanrewaju, in a statement dated Thursday March 6, 2025, personally signed by him and circulated to the media same day, explained how democracy died on a day the constitutionally impeached Speaker was reinstated on a mere ground that Arise Television’s broadcasting journalist Rufai Oseni would call Abuja-based Babasopecracy.

According to the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) and former Deputy Defence Adviser in Moscow, Russia, “To the best of my knowledge, democracy died on Monday 3rd of March when the members of the Lagos State House of Assembly “re-elected” the constitutionally impeached Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, again following resignation of Hon Mojisola Lasbat Meranda from the same position she secured with overall majority from the floor of the State Assembly.”

The Retired General wondered, “If this is the final resolution of the geopolitical shift that seems to give the ruling elites the challenges of sleepless night in the conduct of a simple election to elect a speaker, there are two key areas of interest to know about the future of Lagos State politics.

“One: When our lawmakers cannot implement out of their own free will a legitimate resolution, then rules and values will not matter anymore. Are we not seeing gradually the failing of democracy staring at our faces, where open assault on democracy ‘died’ in a dramatic way? The loser becoming a winner on the basis of an agreement. So, the election that was hailed with the best of intentions suddenly changed nothing for the better. Is there a motive for the agreement? You can bet on it.

“Second: Whatever may be the position of the Lagos State APC “that Obasa’s resignation was not in the agreement”, this statement has created a doubt on legitimacy and breach of trust by directing Hon Mojisola Lasbat Meranda to step down and return to her former position as deputy speaker, after obtaining majority votes as the speaker elected by the house plenary on January 13, 2025.

“With due respect to the APC’s position in the resolution of the House of Assembly crisis, the house members have been deprived of their democratic choice as the turn of events has indicated. Conspiracy theory is pointing to the power centre of Abuja in the final decision to resolve the crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly. Only time will tell the citizens of the state whether the outcome from the crisis is a good one or not.

“What further evidence do we need when the APC spokesperson, Mr Oladejo, has been quoted to have said, “To the best of my knowledge, there was no time that arrangement for Obasa to resign came up in the terms of settlement of the crisis.” A dummy was sold to the public that Obasa would resign on Wednesday, 5th March 2025, when a neural member from lagos West would be elected to settle on the speaker’s seat and end the positioning quagmire.”

Giving the current political drama as it is observed now, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju noted that Lagos State politics will need a new roadmap in 2027, and that the indigenes and friends must throw everything into the arena and take the crown.

Concluding he said, “The ruling elites don’t seem to accommodate the indigenes in the governance of the state. The dropping of Hon Mojisola Lasbat Meranda as the speaker left sour taste in the mouths of the state indigenous citizens,” he said.