Osun LG, Rivers’ cyclical crisis and Lagos Assembly razzmatazz: Litany of political indiscretions

Nigeria is, increasingly, descending into a nation where court orders are obeyed in the breach. There is disobedience of court orders all over the place. It is amazing how flagrant politicians have become in flouting orders given by courts of ‘competent’ jurisdictions. The belief is that the judiciary has so messed up itself that its orders are no longer worth anything. State governors now treat orders from even the highest court in the land as a piece of trash. The judiciary worked itself into this dark alley when it began to engage in what is termed today as “cash and carry” judgement or judgement for “the highest bidder.” The common chord that runs through the political impasse in all the states is the variegated judicial pronouncements that give different parties ground to act with impunity. The recent conduct of the local government election by the Osun State government, the lingering political crisis and serial neglect of court orders by the warring parties in Rivers State, and the latest drama at the Lagos State House of Assembly bear the judicial imprimatur. What a litany of indiscretions!

A miniature ‘wild wild West’ in Osun

A violent kind of politics erupted between the supporters of two astute politicians in the Western Region, Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola, leading to the burning of the houses of all those who were opposed to Awolowo. They were dealing with all the supporters of Akintola. The people made governance impossible for the government. It arose as a result of a sharp disagreement between the two politicians. Interest was at play here. The crisis was so much that it was termed ‘wild, wild West.”

Osun State came close to the conflagration of those days a few weeks ago, when political thugs, belonging to different camps and parties, clashed. The fight led to the death of a number of people. In the midst of the imbroglio, the state government went ahead to conduct the local government election.

Governor Ademola Adeleke said that he derived his powers from the ruling of the state High Court sitting in Osogbo, ordering the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to conduct the local government election as scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2025.

He insisted that the local government election must be held unfailingly under the supervision of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC).

The court held that the election conducted on October 15, 2022, had been invalidated, nullified, and voided, and the purported elected officials produced by the purported election had been sacked by the Federal High Court.

The court further directed and compelled all the security agencies, comprising the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Amotekun Corps, the Vigilante group, among others in the state, to provide adequate security during and after the election.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure had earlier reinstated the elected local government chairmen and councillors sacked by Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The court, in a judgement recently, had ordered the immediate resumption of office of the council officials, who are all members of the APC.

The police said that they received credible intelligence indicating a high likelihood of violence and significant security threats should the election proceed.

Apart from intelligence on insecurity, the police also cited other reasons.

“Beyond the security concerns, it is also imperative to consider the legal clarification by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on the extant judicial pronouncements concerning local government administration in Osun State with regards to the Court of Appeal judgement delivered on the 22nd of February 2025, which stands to have nullified the Federal High Court’s previous decision and reinforces the position that the elections, as presently contemplated, lack a firm legal foundation,” it said.

Adeleke went ahead, not only to organise the election, but he also swore in the newly elected council chairmen the next day.

The governor, however, urged them to stay away from the council secretariats.

The thinking by supporters of the governor is that the powers that be in Abuja would want to hijack the state ahead of the 2027 general election.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State not to turn the state into another “wild wild west” of the Second Republic and called for the rule of law and counselling against resorting to self-help.

Today, the air is ominous as both supporters of the ruling PDP in the state and the APC go for one another’s jugular. In all of this, the interest of a few political elites is what is at play.

Rivers’ people as greatest losers

The political crisis in Rivers seems to have become intractable and cyclical. It is denying the people of the state the quality governance they so much deserve.

A few months after the inauguration of the Simi Fubara administration in 2023, the state went into a crisis that it has yet to come out from.

It has been unstable chiefly because of the interest of a few individuals. The judiciary has not helped matters as the judges have allowed themselves to be used to feather the nests of the dramatis personae in the battle of attrition.

With the enormous God-given resources, the people of Rivers should be enjoying a good lease of life, but that has not been the case. The crisis over who controls the legislature has been at the heart of the matter. Fubara and his supporters strongly believe that if the legislature slips out of the governor’s control, his political foes could engineer his ouster and that the judiciary will not help.

On the other hand, the other camp also believes that the only stake they have in the state government as constituted currently is having control of the legislature.

The back-and-forth movement is creating instability in the state and constituting a clog in the wheel of the progress of the state.

Fubara is said to be confronting a hegemonic structure. Although he came to power through that structure, he is trying to resist the overbearing influence from godfathers and other interest groups.

What has emerged in the issue of the Rivers State House of Assembly leadership impasse is that the independence of the House is no longer guaranteed. The meddlesomeness of party bigwigs and other influential individuals has left the legislature castrated. The lawmaking houses across the country are no longer working to serve the people but are always beholden to powerful elements that put them in power. This has brought to question the relevance of lawmakers and even the judiciary as they operate in Nigeria currently. The houses of Assembly across the country have been reduced to rubber stamps and “O yes Sir” chambers.

The judiciary, which should protect the people, is now being seen by many as the greatest enemy of democracy in Nigeria.

Critics believe that the lingering crisis in Rivers State can be said to be the handiwork of politicians who manipulate the judiciary to their own advantage.

Nigerians are worried that people who call themselves leaders are not behaving to type. Why has it become so difficult for the leaders to resolve the crisis among themselves?

The highest job anybody can do anywhere in the world is leadership. Unfortunately, that is where everybody is running to, including those who have not been able to lead themselves.

The issues in Rivers right now appear complicated. The lawmakers who were shoved aside by Nyesom Wike in 2015 are laying claim to the seats at the House of Assembly according to a court ruling. The Martins Amaewhule group, who decamped from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the platform on which they were elected, also received another judicial pronouncement that they were the authentic legislators. On the other hand is the Victor Oko Jumbo faction that has been working with Governor Fubara since the crisis erupted in the House.

Each of these three groups believes they are entitled to call the shots at the state House of Assembly. The recent ruling by the Supreme Court, mandating the governor to represent the 2025 budget before the Amaewhule-led house, appears to have set off another round of crisis, with threats coming from various quarters.

From the look of things, Rivers State will remain a political battleground for some time to come, with the indigenes of the state being the greatest losers. Too bad!

The return of the impeached!

Beyond the razzmatazz that defined the events of the last month in the Lagos State House of Assembly, one can safely say that only those with political tentacles that run deep into the corridors of power can enjoy the pampering that Mudashiru Obasa enjoys in Lagos.

Or how can anybody explain that a man that was shoved aside by 36 members of the House of Assembly could ride back to power in a heroic fashion, cheered by the same people that shouted “away with him” a month plus ago?

Obasa did not leave anybody in doubt that he was going to return to his seat. He insisted that his impeachment was a nullity.

Those who support him insisted that critics should ask about the rules and how they conduct their proceedings. What does their rule say on the process of removing a speaker? Do they remove a speaker in absentia? They said that what was done to Obasa amounted to shaving him in his absence?

After all the razzmatazz, the lawmakers chickened out. They stepped back to re-elect Obasa, who they had accused of gross misconduct.

How does his re-election portray the lawmakers in the eyes of right-thinking persons in society?

The “peace” was said to have been brokered by some leaders of the party ostensibly at the behest of President Bola Tinubu.

Doesn’t this suggest that the house does not have its own soul? There is an indication that they are being teleguided. They have no mind of their own.

When Obasa returned from his journey, he was received in a rousing ceremony by supporters and constituents. He went to court to challenge his ouster.

In what appeared to be a well-choreographed script, Obasa returned to the House of Assembly, but not until Mojisola Meranda was forced to resign.

In a face-saving speech announcing her resignation, Meranda said she took the decision to save the house from further unnecessary embarrassment.

Funsho Doherty, a former governorship candidate in the 2023 election, said that what transpired in the Assembly was a symptom of a hegemonic structure that had subsisted in Lagos State—government by proxy.

He also said that he did not see what transpired at the house as the final closure.

According to him, the reversals and counter-reversals gave indication that there are unseen hands pulling the strings and that such meddlesomeness negates the principle of democracy and that of separation of powers.

What is worrying now is that the 36 members that impeached Obasa told the whole world that he was removed as a result of “gross misconduct” to the extent that six members went to court to press charges against him. Turning back now to return him to his seat, are they saying that they lied to the constituents they are representing, to Nigerians, and to the whole world that watched the drama?

Are they saying that Obasa is no longer “corrupt,” or can we safely say now that the members are on the same page and there’s no more division in the house?

Many watchers believe that the last may not have been heard on the impasse in the Lagos House of Assembly.