A House in Turmoil: Lagos State Assembly’s Leadership Tangle and the Perilous Road Ahead as 25 Members Set to Dump APC for a New Party
Over the past several weeks, the leadership debacle in the Lagos State House of Assembly has reached a fever pitch, and it is now impossible to ignore the signs of a deep and disturbing crisis. In what can only be described as a show of shame for our polity, over twenty-five members of the House have sealed a deal to defect to a yet-to-be-announced political party. Barring unforeseen developments, these members are poised to make their defection public very soon, a decision that speaks volumes about the internal fractures within the All Progressives Congress (APC) establishment.
This unfolding drama comes on the heels of the highly controversial refusal of Hon. Mudashiru Obasa to adhere to the agreement reached for him to have a soft landing by commuting his removal to resignation. Instead of uniting behind a coherent mandate, Obasa has chosen to display a leopard’s behavior, showing his true colors by reneging on every agreement reached with his colleagues. His intransigence, manifesting in his refusal to withdraw from court cases or resign despite mounting pressure, is reminiscent of the shameless shenanigans that have plagued our institutions before.
The pressure exerted on members of The Mandate Movement (TMM) within the House has now become surreal. Leaders from various constituencies are forcing their representatives to align with Hon. Obasa, threatening them with the ominous prospect that if they do not join his camp, they will be left without the necessary support for re-election in 2027. (And while the reference to 2007 may seem anachronistic, it is a grim reminder of past electoral manipulation tactics that still haunt the Nigerian political landscape.)
Some of the most egregious shows of shame in this coercion are:
In Lagos Mainland Local Government, Hon. Owolabi Ibrahim A. of Lagos Mainland 01 and Hon. Rasheed Shabi of Lagos Mainland 02 are reportedly being pressured by influential party operatives to switch allegiance. Hon. Owolabi Batola, once a proud member of the House of Representatives and currently recognized as the apex leader of the APC in Lagos Mainland, has vehemently refused to heed these entreaties—a decision that speaks to his integrity amidst a tide of opportunism.
From Ojo Local Government, Hon. Olusegun Ege (Ojo 01) and Hon. Tijani Suraju O. (Ojo 02), popularly known as “Emir,” have been strongly coerced into joining Hon. Obasa by Senator Idiat Adebule, the Lagos West Senatorial District representative and a prominent figure in the Mandate Movement.
Similarly, Hon. Akinsanya A. Nureni (OSMAK) of Mushin 01 and APC’s Hon. Olayinka Kazeem (Esho) of Mushin 02 have reportedly been directed by Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS)—a key member of the GAC and principal backer of Obasa—to join his faction.
In Ikeja, Hon. Adeseyi Lawal of Ikeja 01 is facing pressure through his apex leader, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, the Chief of Staff to the Governor.
Hon. Jimoh Orelope from Alimosho 01, the junior brother of Princess Joke Orelope-Adefulire (a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State), is caught in a similar bind.
Hon. Abdulkareem Jubreel Ayodeji of Agege 02, from the same local government as Obasa, has been threatened by Obasa’s hired goons, being told that failure to align with Obasa will result in a lack of support during re-election.
Hon. Noheem Adams of Eti-Osa 01, the erstwhile Majority Leader and a primary backer of Obasa, stands as a glaring testament to the coercive atmosphere.
The only female voice in this saga, Hon. Omolara Oyekan-Olumegbon from Lagos Island 01, is under similar pressure.
These are not isolated cases. In fact, the very fabric of our House is under siege. The coercive tactics are so pervasive that over thirty other members have already chosen to defect to a new party, a party that has, by contrast, embraced them wholeheartedly and promises the capacity to challenge the APC both in the field and financially.
The primary reason for decamping is the APC leadership’s resolve to punish these members, who are seen as renegades, with the threat that they will not receive return tickets even if promised. They have been tagged as unpredictable.
Despite entreaties made by Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, pleading with those planning to defect to give peace a chance—mainly to save her neck from EFCC and other security agencies’ harassment—her words fell on deaf ears. The G25 members are not ready to turn back, insisting that the party leadership has already made up its mind and that all assurances given are merely deceptive tactics to keep them under control before ultimately dealing them a severe blow at the appropriate time.
The G25 members are determined that once the majority takes over the House Assembly leadership on the new platform, their first move will be to suspend Hon. Obasa indefinitely for gross misconduct and his continuous efforts to bring the House into disrepute.
The defecting members are looking at the strongest opposition party that can protect them, which makes the coalition-building efforts in the North West and North Central very attractive to them.
According to them, this development will finally release Lagos from the strangulation it has been enduring.
