By Henry Oduah

Former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, was absent on Friday as Mojisola Meranda, the newly appointed Speaker, presided over her first plenary session following Obasa’s removal.

The plenary, which began at 11 a.m., was attended by the majority of lawmakers representing various constituencies.

Obasa, who represents Agege Constituency 1, was removed on Monday by a majority of House members over allegations of misconduct and financial misappropriation. Before his ousting, Obasa was reportedly on vacation in Atlanta, United States, and it remains unclear if he has returned to Nigeria. The former Speaker has yet to issue a statement addressing the allegations.

During the session, Meranda, who made history as the first female Speaker of the Lagos Assembly, announced the new principal officers of the House.

In her inaugural address, Meranda vowed to “work tirelessly to uphold the principles of transparency, good governance, and other noble tenets that this noble House stands for.”

Barely 24 hours after her swearing-in, Meranda received the endorsement of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State.

The GAC formally endorsed her emergence as Speaker during a closed-door meeting with key principal officers at Lagos House, Marina, signalling broad party support for her leadership.