By Kolawole Ojebisi
A former National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and one time Commissioner for Environment in Lagos State, Dr. Muiz Banire, has explained why the ousted speaker of the Lagos State Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, deserves his current political ordeal.
Banire maintained that Obasa’s problem is a deserved comeuppance for his role in the removal of previous Assembly leaders.
“He is reaping what he has sown. He was part of the package during the removal of others, so he has no reason to complain,” Banire said.
Banire further stressed that the removal of Obasa as speaker of Lagos State Assembly is an inevitable outcome of his actions and political missteps.
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The Senior Advocate said this while featuring on Channels TV’s Hard Copy, on Sunday.
He mentioned key instances of discord that led to Obasa’s fall, including his controversial stance on local government autonomy and elections, which differs from the governor’s and the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s positions.
“Beyond the issue of the budget and the delay of the governor, Obasa took a position contrary to that of his governor and his party. His stance against local government autonomy and the conduct of local government elections was irreconcilable. For him to go against such an establishment, he had to face the consequences,” Banire added.
Banire also pointed out that Obasa’s removal was influenced by his perceived disrespect towards Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during an official visit.
“Obasa’s speech to Sanwo-Olu was rude and an act of insubordination; he breached mutual respect. Before that, there were already issues on the ground warranting his removal. For instance, delaying the governor for four hours during his visit to the Assembly was unacceptable,” he explained.
While Governor Sanwo-Olu may have appeared indifferent to the incident, Banire noted that party leaders and chieftains viewed Obasa’s actions as a public affront to party unity.
“He gave the impression to the world that there was a fracture in the party by externalising it in his speech. That was the trigger for the sanctions,” Banire added.
According to Banire, Obasa’s removal signals the collapse of his political influence, as his power and support were closely tied to his position as Speaker.
“If there was any support Obasa had gathered before, it has automatically crumbled. In politics, people worship money and offices. The moment he is no longer occupying the office, his influence withers away,” he said.
