“Let Obasa Be” — Tinubu Tells Lagos Lawmakers Amid Assembly Crisis

In a bid to quell the ongoing leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting with Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and aggrieved lawmakers at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Tinubu firmly threw his weight behind Obasa, instructing the lawmakers to allow him remain as Speaker. “Let Obasa be,” the President was quoted as saying, while also cautioning the Speaker to carry his colleagues along moving forward. He further directed Obasa to withdraw a court case linked to the dispute.

Obasa arrived at the Villa around 2:50 p.m. and was received separately, while the lawmakers came earlier in two coaster buses. After emerging from the meeting around 4:30 p.m., the lawmakers were heard singing “On your mandate, we shall stand,” a signature tune of loyalty to the President.

Speaker Obasa declined to speak with the press after the meeting. When asked how it went, House of Representatives member James Faleke, who was seen exiting alongside Obasa, simply said, “It went well.”

A lawmaker who attended the meeting and spoke anonymously described the session as a “family matter,” revealing that although the President chastised Obasa for not engaging with his colleagues earlier, he ultimately backed him because Obasa was the only one who reported the issue.

The President reportedly warned Obasa that any future complaints could result in his removal. “The President said he should let peace reign, and so based on that, we have accepted,” the source added.

Obasa was previously impeached by some of his colleagues, but reinstated on March 3, 2025, after interventions by key political figures including the All Progressives Congress and the powerful Governance Advisory Council. Despite the reinstatement, tensions have lingered, prompting the President’s direct intervention.