Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda (Apapa I) has been elected as the new Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. Before assuming this role, Meranda served as the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. Her emergence follows the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker, who was removed from office over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.

In December 2024, SaharaReporters revealed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had received a petition urging an investigation into Obasa over allegations of financial misconduct, breach of public trust, and abuse of office. The petition, submitted by the Progressive Youth Movement of Ikeja, Lagos State, accused Obasa of using proxy companies to embezzle funds from the Assembly while bypassing due process and procurement regulations.

The petition, dated December 17, also alleged that the Finance Management Committee had not convened officially since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly, enabling Obasa to make unauthorized financial decisions. Similarly, the Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition filed a petition with the EFCC alleging the mismanagement of N17 billion earmarked for constructing a gate at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Further allegations detailed in the petition included the awarding of a N469 million contract for constructing the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat to Orgnitek Consult Limited, a company alleged to be a proxy for Obasa's fraudulent activities. Additionally, the group accused him of approving N200 million for a thanksgiving event at the Assembly, claiming the expenditure was excessive and could have been executed for no more than N2 million.

In response to these allegations, Obasa dismissed them as unfounded and politically motivated. Addressing the claims, he argued that the reported expenses were reasonable for an institution of the Assembly's size, including the scale of the thanksgiving event. He denied any direct connection to the companies implicated in the allegations and refuted claims of misusing N17 billion for a gate construction project, emphasizing that such figures were exaggerated and unrealistic.

Obasa also suggested that these accusations were part of a politically driven agenda as elections approached. Despite these defenses, his removal from office paved the way for Meranda's rise as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.