Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, is embroiled in a fresh dispute with his deputy, Mojisola Meranda, for allegedly authorising the withdrawal of N5 billion from the assembly’s account just days after taking office.
The move came in the wake of her brief stint as speaker following a short-lived impeachment in January.
According to sources familiar with the unfolding drama, the fresh conflict between Obasa and Meranda centers around her approval to disburse the N5 billion for the purchase of 40 units of 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs, one for each of the 40 lawmakers.
Peoples Gazette reports that the purchase was made just days after Meranda was sworn in as Lagos State’s first female speaker on January 13.
“Another serious crisis is brewing in the Lagos Assembly,” a source revealed.
“Mr. Obasa is furious that Meranda didn’t even wait for weeks before withdrawing N5 billion to buy 40 Land Cruisers for lawmakers after replacing him as speaker.”
Obasa, who had plans for the same vehicle purchase before his impeachment, was re-elected as speaker on March 3 following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
Upon his return, Obasa immediately began pressuring Meranda to return the N5 billion, claiming that she had no authority to make such a large disbursement from the assembly’s account.
Meranda’s tenure as speaker lasted just 49 days before she was forced to resign, following intense pressure from President Tinubu and the Lagos APC leadership to restore Obasa to his position.
Sources revealed that before his removal, Obasa had already planned to disburse N7 billion to purchase 45 units of Toyota Fortuner SUVs, intending to give one to each of the 40 members of the Lagos House of Assembly, one for the House clerk, and the remaining vehicles for himself. However, Meranda’s approval of the N5 billion purchase has now disrupted these plans.
“As soon as Obasa was reinstated as speaker, he began putting pressure on Meranda to return the N5 billion used to purchase the Land Cruisers,” one source explained.
“Obasa was about to finalize plans to disburse N7 billion for 45 Toyota Fortuner SUVs, but Meranda’s actions have thrown those plans into disarray.”
In response, Obasa has demanded that Meranda return the 40 vehicles already purchased, a request that has sparked resistance from lawmakers.
Many of the lawmakers, who had opposed Obasa’s return to power, are refusing to hand back the new Land Cruisers in exchange for the older Toyota Fortuner models.
“Obasa is not backing down,” a source said. “He’s insisting that Meranda and the other lawmakers immediately return the Land Cruisers, but they are refusing. They don’t want to give up the latest model of Land Cruisers for the older 2020 Fortuner vehicles, and this is creating more tension in the assembly.”
The dispute continues to escalate, as the standoff between Obasa and Meranda threatens to deepen divisions within the Lagos State House of Assembly.