Former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, was absent on Friday as new Speaker Mojisola Meranda presided over the first plenary following Obasa’s ousting.

The plenary, which began at 11am had majority of the lawmakers representing various constituencies present.

Before his removal, Obasa was said to have been out of the country on vacation. It is not certain if he is still in Atlanta, United States, where sources at the assembly said he was having his vacation.

Obasa representing Agege Constituency 1, was removed by the majority members of the House on Monday over allegations of misconduct and financial misappropriation.

The former Speaker has not reacted to the allegations since his removal.

The PUNCH reports that at the Friday plenary, Meranda announced the new principal officers of the house.

While speaking during the plenary, the first female speaker, Meranda, pledged to “work tirelessly to uphold the principles of transparency, good governance, and other noble tenets that this noble House stands for.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo has accused Hope Uzodimma, governor of the state, of failing to effectively manage the state’s resources.

A statement on Thursday by Lancelot Obiaku, PDP publicity secretary in the state, said Uzodimma’s first term and the initial year of his second were marked by “economic mismanagement, insecurity, and lack of transparency”.

The party said the state’s poor performance in generating revenue, citing data from BudgIT, a civic organisation focused on fiscal transparency.

Obiaku noted that Imo ranked between 26th and 36th in internally generated revenue (IGR) under Uzodimma’s leadership and was 32nd in the 2024 fiscal performance ranking.

He further revealed that the state recorded the lowest value added tax (VAT) revenue in the country in 2024, generating just ₦235.41 million — nearly half of what Zamfara state, the second-worst-performing state, generated.

“On the economy, trade, commerce, and Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), Uzodimma’s regime stands as the worst in the history of the state. The business environment has been adversely impacted by insecurity and the government’s unwillingness to regulate taxes, leaving business owners grumbling due to multiple taxations,” he said.

“Despite this ugly trend, the state has maintained an abysmal 26th to 36th ranking in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) under Uzodimma’s watch and ranked 32nd in the 2024 fiscal performance ranking, according to Budgit.

“Additionally, the state generated the lowest VAT revenue in the entire federation in 2024, with a paltry N235.41 million — almost half of what the second-worst-performing State, Zamfara, generated (N432.80 million), and a mere 0.2 percent of what Lagos generated.

“In terms of transparency, accountability, and rule of law the government’s record is shameful. The governor has reduced governance to a one-man show and maintained a secretive approach to managing the State’s resources and opportunities. In his absence — or, more accurately, without him — nothing works.”

The opposition party also criticised Uzodimma for failing to appoint a chief judge after the position became vacant in November 2024.

“How can one explain that the governor has refused to appoint a chief judge since November 16th when the office became vacant? Today, cases are not being assigned because only the chief judge can do so,” he added.

“This is just one out of many other functions only a chief judge can perform. The effect of this on the Imo judicial system can only be imagined.”

Lauretta Onochie, former Special Assistant on Social Media to President Muhammadu Buhari, has joined the conversation about Seyi Tinubu’s eligibility to contest for Lagos governorship seat.

The likelihood of Seyi, President Bola Tinubu’s son contesting for the number one political office in Lagos, has been a trending conversation since the Lagos State House of Assembly impeached its Speaker, Mudashir Obasa on Monday, January 13, 2025.

Many critics of the president and political observers have argued that Obasa’s impeachment was a ploy to pave the way for Seyi to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

While many Nigerians, especially supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have no problem with Seyi’s alleged ambition, others opposed the idea of a father and son leading Nigeria and the country’s economic headquarters respectively.

However, Onochie believes the president’s son has the right to have political aspirations and be voted for, saying the Nigerian law does not exclude those whose parents are governors or presidents from contesting.

In a tweet on Wednesday, the former presidential aide urged Nigerians to be guided by the law when they discuss Lagos State succession.

She wrote: “To become a Governor in Nigeria, the law does not exclude those whose parents were governors or Presidents. Let us be guided by the law when we argue about Lagos State succession. We cannot have a set of laws for Nigeria and a different set for Lagos.”

https://twitter.com/Laurestar/status/1879234767541133350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1879234767541133350%7Ctwgr%5E48a9f7068fbe4fc432fadf36e7bf6adf38708b14%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanguardngr.com%2F2025%2F01%2Fbuharis-ex-aide-affirms-seyi-tinubus-eligibility-to-contest-for-lagos-governorship-seat%2F

To support her submission, Onochie highlighted the legal requirements governorship aspirants must fulfil.

Onochie accompanied the tweet with a photo showing the state’s Deputy Governor, Babafemi Hamzat, President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the impeached Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Mudashir Obasa, former Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, Senator Tokunbo Abiru and Seyi Tinubu as potential aspirants for the 2027 governorship race.

Besides Obasa, whose recent declaration of interest suffered a setback due to his impeachment, other purported aspirants have neither denied nor confirmed their aspirations.