For the umpteenth time, Tinubu saves Obasa’s blushes
By TOLANI ABATTI
The return of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday, 3 March 2025, was certainly not unconnected with pressure from the Presidency—specifically, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This is certainly not the first time Tinubu has come to Obasa’s aid, saving him from political embarrassment. In fact, Obasa’s initial entry into the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2003 was facilitated by Tinubu’s intervention.
By 2003, Tinubu had completely taken control of the political structures of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Lagos State. During the House of Assembly primaries at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Tinubu sat majestically in the hall, overseeing the entire process.
There were three aspirants for the Agege Constituency 1 seat: the incumbent, Hon. Bayo Ashimiyu, Mudashiru Obasa, and one other individual whose name I cannot recall. The election followed the Option A4 system, with six delegates casting their votes. Three delegates queued behind Obasa, two behind the unnamed aspirant, and only one behind Ashimiyu. However, in a swift move, Ashimiyu’s lone delegate switched allegiance to the unnamed aspirant, creating a tie between him and Obasa while leaving Ashimiyu with no support.
It was Tinubu who intervened, instructing Ashimiyu’s delegate to return to him. He questioned, “If this were a ballot election, would you break the ballot box and retrieve your vote to thumbprint again?” That was how Obasa emerged victorious in the primaries and subsequently won the general election.
Again, in 2011, party leaders in Agege had grown uneasy with Obasa and sought to replace him. However, they feared his influence within the party hierarchy. To outmanoeuvre him, they arranged for the party’s nomination form for Agege Constituency 1 to be given to Folashade Tinubu to fill and submit. Obasa also purchased his own nomination form, intending to contest for a third term.
To Obasa’s shock, when the party’s official candidate list for the House of Assembly was released, Folashade Tinubu’s name was listed for Agege Constituency 1 instead of his. It was Asiwaju Tinubu himself who intervened—travelling from his Bourdillon residence in Ikoyi to the party secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba. There, he personally cancelled his daughter’s name and reinstated Mudashiru Obasa as the candidate. Of course, this was done with the backing of Senator Sikiru Adebayo Osinowo, Tinubu’s trusted ally in the House at the time.
In 2015, during the contest for Speaker of the 8th Legislative Assembly, Obasa was considered the least qualified among the top three contenders in terms of charisma, education, and exposure. Few journalists and Assembly workers gave him a chance of emerging as Speaker.
Most of us believed that Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun (now a Senator) was the likely choice, given his strong backing from Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Yet, against all odds, Mudashiru Obasa was selected as Speaker with the approval of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the support of the late Senator Sikiru Adebayo.
Those who orchestrated Obasa’s removal as Speaker on Monday, 13 January 2025, likely did so based on the chastisement and reprimand he received from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during a meeting with the GAC members in December 2024. However, to their shock, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through Pa Bisi Akande and Aremo Segun Osoba, ensured his reinstatement as the 6th Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday, 3 March 2025.
So, if you ever hear Obasa saying, “After God, it is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” do not doubt him.
*Tolani Abatti is a journalist and book publisher. He has authored three books: 1. Two Decades of Lagos House of Assembly: Face to Face with Movers and Shakers. 2. Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu: A Quintessential Emergency Manager. 3. Authentic Heroes and Heroines of Ojokoro LCDA in the Last 20 Years
