Archive March 3, 2025

The state’s first female speaker, Mojisola Meranda, resigned on Monday in the midst of a horde of resignations and reshuffles that swept the floor of the crisis-torn Lagos State House of Assembly.

Meranda, who represents Apapa Constituency I, resigned after the plenary, which was followed by her re-election as the Assembly’s Deputy Speaker.

The lawmakers praised her ability to lead and for bringing peace to the Assembly in Lagos State. They applauded her courage and modesty for adhering to the All Progressives Congress (APC) rules and regulations.

Meranda’s resignation came after a meeting with some senior APC members in the state to figure out how to navigate the state’s leadership crisis, which has reportedly erupted in the last seven weeks.

Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted Speaker of Agege Constituency I, was nominated by a former House Majority Leader Noheem Adams, who now represents Eti-Osa Constituency 1. He was then nominated for re-election after stepping down.

Seven weeks after his removal, Obasa took the oath of office as the Assembly’s new leader. In 2007, he was the first member of the House. Since then, he has been in the chamber. Before being fired in January 2025, he first started speaking in June 2015.

Chess or Game of Thrones?

In the same vein, Mojeed Fatai, the house’s deputy speaker, who represents Ibeju-Lekki Constituency I, announced his resignation.

Fatai claimed the House was interested in his resignation. He was re-elected as the Assembly’s chief whipright away.

Setonji David, the Assembly’s chief whip for Badagry constituency II, also resigned from his position and won a second term as the house’s Deputy Chief Whip.

Okanlawon Sanni, a House member from Kosofe Constituency I, also submitted his resignation as the House’s Deputy Chief Whip.

More than two-thirds of the 40-member assembly removed Obasa as speaker of Lagos on January 13, 2025, sparking a leadership crisis in the Assembly. He was fired because of alleged misconduct and other offenses.

Meranda, the then-deputy of Obasa, was immediately elected as the new speaker, making her the first woman to lead the state’s South-West state legislature.

Obasa vehemently opposed his removal on January 25, 2025, and pleaded with him to continue speaking until the right thing was done. He criticized the assembly complex’ militarisation during the impeachment process. He added that while he was away from Nigeria, he was also accused of having been removed as speaker.

Read more about the Rivers Assembly Crisis at APC’s Oki. Lagos Speakership Tussle-APC.

However, 36 lawmakers who are close to Meranda argued that Meranda’s removal was final and that she would continue to be House speaker.

When security personnel and some legislative workers argued over the former’s presence in the Assembly Complex on February 17, 2025, fighting broke out in the hallowed chambers. After that, 36 of the lawmakers approved a heartfelt motion and adjourned the session indefinitely.

As he entered the hallowed chambers on February 27, 2025, Obasa showed up at the Assembly Complex and was escorted by a retinue of uniformed security personnel with armed, stern-looking uniforms. Since being removed as Lagos speaker on January 13, 2025, Obasa made his first appearance in the Assembly on Thursday.

Julius Maada Bio, president of Sierra Leone, was given by President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Monday.

The President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff, received Bio upon arrival.

The Sierra Leonean President is visiting the State House at noon to make a courtesy visit to the ECOWAS chairperson.

Read more about Tinubu’s tribute to late leader Nujoma at the state burial.

At the State House photo, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is greeted with a warm greeting from Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the president of Sierra Leone. twitter.com/SMvmHBsQ1p

See below for photos of the visit:

Governor Siminalayi Fubara has 48 hours to prepare the 2025 budget for consideration by the Rivers State House of Assembly.

With the motion moved by the deputy speaker, Dumle Maol, they made this known during the Monday plenary session in Port Harcourt.

“That in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision in Suit no. You are requested to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the House in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended, according to the lawmakers’ resolution signed by the Speaker Martin Amaewhule, as required by SC/CV/1174/2024 for the stoppage of Statutory Federal allocations to the Rivers State government and the suspension of spending from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State pending the passage of a Bill. That the House anticipates that you will submit the Appropriations Bill in 48 hours.

Amaewhule criticized Fubara’s directive to the local government administrator chiefs, calling it unlawful and contrary to the Supreme Court’s ruling in his remarks.

The lawmakers referred to the governor’s “responsibilities” as the 1999 Constitution as amended, the 2023 Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Law, as well as the Supreme Court’s decision in Suit No. HLGAs or any other individuals who are not democratically elected officials are prohibited from administering local governments under SC/CV/343/2024.

Because they have been working nonstop for the past two years, the House has made a resolution to go on recess by Friday.

The 2024 budget was not mentioned during plenary, which is interesting.

A 1.1 trillion 2025 Budget was approved by Governor Fubara on January 2 after it was presented to the lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo. &nbsp,

However, the Supreme Court ordered Martin Amaewhule and the group of lawmakers he is leading to resumption of their positions as legitimate members of the Rivers State House of Assembly months later, specifically last week. &nbsp,

S’Court Bans CBN From Releasing Funds to Rivers Governors, Read More:

Two sets of lawmakers filed a claim to the Rivers State House of Assembly, putting an end to months of tussle over its leadership. &nbsp,

However, the Rivers State Assembly requested that Fubara present the bill, which he had christened “Budget of Inclusive Growth and Development,” in their first sitting following the historic judgment, adding a new twist to the oil-rich state’s political landscape. &nbsp,

The Supreme Court had also mandated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) hold off on payments to Amaewhule and other lawmakers until it purges itself of what the court described as flagrant disobedience to court orders.

It also invalidated Rivers State’s last-year local government elections. &nbsp,

Read more about Supreme Court’s decision to end impunity in rivers, according to Wike.

Fubara pleaded to follow the ruling and to hold a new council election in the state.

In a state broadcast on Sunday, the governor said, “Furthermore, I hereby direct the Heads of Local Government Administration to immediately take over the administration of the 23 local government councils pending the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s conduct of fresh elections.”