In a historic move, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda has been elected as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, making her the first woman to hold the position in the state’s legislative history.

Meranda’s election followed the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa during the House’s plenary session on Monday. Prior to her appointment, she served as the Deputy Speaker and represents Apapa Constituency I.

Taking the oath of office on the floor of the House, Meranda reaffirmed her commitment to her new role. “I pledge to be faithful as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, performing my duties honestly and to the best of my ability, in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” said the 44-year-old.

Since its inception in 1979, the Lagos State House of Assembly has seen nine different assemblies. The most recent was inaugurated in 2019, but it was not until Meranda’s election that a female was chosen as Speaker.

Mojeed Fatai was also elected as Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Obasa’s impeachment followed a series of corruption allegations. Recently, he was accused of spending N17 billion to fix a gate leading to the Assembly, an allegation he denied. “It’s laughable. How much is the Assembly’s annual budget that we would spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed we spent 200 million on a thanksgiving event that never took place,” Obasa stated at the time. “We know that such accusations often surface around election periods. Some people seem afraid, but I don’t understand why. This House has never and will never engage in such reckless spending.”