Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa Impeached for Alleged Misconduct.
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has been impeached for alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office. The impeachment occurred on Monday, though detailed information surrounding the decision remains unclear.
Reports from December 2024 indicated that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been petitioned to investigate Obasa for alleged financial misconduct, breach of public trust, and abuse of office. A petition filed by the Progressive Youth Movement of Ikeja, Lagos State, accused Obasa of using proxy companies to embezzle funds from the Assembly and bypassing due process and procurement regulations.
The petition, dated December 17, claimed that the Finance Management Committee had not officially convened since the 10th Assembly was inaugurated, allowing Obasa to make unauthorized financial decisions. Additionally, the Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition previously petitioned the EFCC over alleged mismanagement of N17 billion allocated for constructing a gate at the Assembly.
The Progressive Youth Movement further alleged that Obasa awarded a N469 million contract for the construction of Ikeja Local Government Secretariat to Orgnitek Consult Limited, which they identified as a company involved in his alleged fraudulent activities. The group also criticized the approval of N200 million for a thanksgiving event, arguing that the expense was excessive and should not have exceeded N2 million.
In response, Obasa dismissed the allegations as unfounded and politically motivated. He defended the expenses, suggesting that they were reasonable for an institution of the Assembly's size. Regarding the thanksgiving event, he argued that the reported cost was inflated and justified the scale of the celebration. He also refuted claims linking him to the contract, emphasizing that his name or those of his family members were not associated with the mentioned company.
Obasa described the accusations as politically driven, especially as elections approached, and questioned the logic behind claims such as the alleged use of N17 billion for gate construction, pointing out that it was disproportionate to the Assembly's allocation.
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