close
Thursday, February 6, 2025

Tinubu abruptly abandons meeting with Lagos advisory council, lawmakers for delaying Obasa’s return as Speaker

Mr Tinubu said he had no business with them since the individuals were not there to carry out his order, Peoples Gazette was told.

• February 5, 2025
Tinubu and Obasa
Tinubu and Obasa

President Bola Tinubu abruptly abandoned meeting with members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) for delaying his order mandating the reinstatement of impeached Mudashiru Obasa as the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Peoples Gazette has learnt.

Sources privy to the development told The Gazette that the meeting did not hold as Mr Tinubu, who had learnt the parties were coming to tell him that they could not reach an agreement on reinstating Mr Obasa beforehand, ignored the meeting and ordered them to go back and carry out his order.

“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,” sources told The Gazette. “He told them to go back and carry out his order.”

The Gazette had on Tuesday reported that the auxiliary council ignored Mr Tinubu’s order to reinstate Mr Obasa but came up with an alternative solution to offer Mr Obasa a senatorial ticket in the 2027 election so he would forgo the speakership position following a meeting in Lagos on Monday.

GAC, a decision-making body in Lagos, was formed without any constitutional and statutory power by Mr Tinubu to control the state politics, also promised the removal of Mr Obasa’s replacement, Lasbat Meranda and the appointment of a neutral person if he agreed to council’s proposal.

With the final decision-maker on Lagos political affairs being Mr Tinubu, some GAC members immediately travelled to Abuja following their meeting in Lagos to meet with Mr Tinubu on Tuesday to brief him on the situation.

However, they were left hanging for hours before being told that the president had no business with them and were immediately dispatched back to Lagos to carry out Mr Tinubu’s order, which is for lawmakers to reinstate Mr Obasa, sources noted.

“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,” the sources said.

The sources added, “The attendees were ordered to go back to Lagos by Mr President and immediately reinstate Obasa as speaker because his decision is the final.”

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Abubakar Kyari

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Hungry Nigerians (Credit: UN)

NationWide

WFP to spend $2.5 billion on fighting hunger, malnutrition in Nigeria

The country director said the WFP’s strategic goal was to ensure a world without hunger in line with the SDGs (1 and 2) on poverty and zero hunger.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Economy

Food security critical to economic stability: Sanwo-Olu

Mr Sanwo-Olu emphasised the importance of the private sector’s role in achieving food security, saying companies must embrace innovation.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo

Anti-Corruption

Gov Okpebholo suspends attorney general, LG commission chairman over alleged financial fraud

The suspension came less than three months after the two officials were appointed.

Tinubu signing a document

Economy

Tinubu’s credit policies strengthening Nigeria’s economy, says NICA

NICA highlighted that Mr Tinubu’s credit policy addresses MSMEs’ key challenges.

Nyesom Wike and FCT gate

Abuja

40 contractors hired to keep Nigeria’s capital Abuja clean

Mr Braimah said the AEPB was up to date in its payment obligation to the contractors, saying, “We have paid them 100 per cent, and no contractor is being owed.”

Donald Trump

Rights

Trump bans transgender student athletes from women’s sports

Earlier in January, Mr Trump, who declared that there are only two genders, had signed an order banning trans surgery for children.