President Bola Ahmed Tinubu abruptly abandoned a scheduled meeting with members of the Lagos Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and state lawmakers after they failed to reinstate impeached Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, as he had ordered.
Multiple sources told Peoples Gazette that Tinubu, upon learning that the council had not reached an agreement on bringing Obasa back, refused to meet with them. Instead, he instructed them to return to Lagos and immediately execute his directive.
“The president had learnt before the meeting that members of the council failed to reach a conclusion on his order that the Lagos Assembly lawmakers should reinstate Obasa, so he called off the meeting,” a source revealed. “He told them to go back and carry out his order.”
The GAC, an influential but unofficial political body created by Tinubu to control Lagos politics, had earlier devised an alternative solution instead of reinstating Obasa. They proposed offering him a senatorial ticket for the 2027 election in exchange for giving up his claim to the speakership.
The council also promised to remove Obasa’s replacement, Lasbat Meranda, and appoint a neutral candidate to resolve the dispute. However, this compromise did not sit well with Tinubu, who insisted on Obasa’s reinstatement.
Following their meeting in Lagos on Monday, some GAC members immediately traveled to Abuja on Tuesday to meet with the president and present their proposal.
However, their trip proved futile. They waited for hours at the Presidential Villa, only to be informed that Tinubu had no interest in meeting them unless they were ready to obey his directive.
“The members of the council who had come from Lagos stood for hours for the president before they were informed that Mr. Tinubu said he had no business with them since the individuals were not there to carry out his order,” a source disclosed.
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The source further explained, “The attendees were ordered to go back to Lagos by Mr. President and immediately reinstate Obasa as Speaker because his decision is final.”
This firm stance from Tinubu underscores his continued dominance over Lagos politics. Despite being the president, he remains the ultimate decision-maker in the state’s affairs, with the GAC and state lawmakers following his directives.
The Lagos Assembly now faces the challenge of complying with Tinubu’s order, despite initial resistance. Observers believe that Obasa’s return is inevitable, given Tinubu’s political influence.
The development also raises questions about the independence of the Lagos Assembly and the role of the GAC, which, despite lacking constitutional authority, plays a crucial role in determining political decisions in the state.