Speaker Obasa Calls for Unity as Court Declares Removal Illegal, Unconstitutional

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa has described the Lagos State High Court ruling, which declared his removal in January, “Illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void,” as a win for the Assembly as an institution.

“This is a victory for the Lagos House of Assembly as an institution and for our current and future members,” Obasa said in a statement by his media office.

He added that the court decision “reinforces the desire for us as members of the House to move ahead in unity and harmony and continue to work for the good of our people, our beloved Lagos State, and Nigeria.”

Speaker Obasa urged his colleagues to let bygones be bygones and continue working together in peace, harmony, and unity.

Justice Yetunde Pinheiro of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday declared Obasa’s removal while on an official assignment to the United States of America in January as illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void.
Instructively, the court also nullified the proceedings and resolutions of the Assembly held on January 13, 2025, during which Obasa was ousted from office.

Obasa had filed a suit on February 12, 2025, through his counsel, Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), challenging his removal because it was effected while the Assembly was on recess and he was outside the country. Obasa further argued that the House session during which he was removed was unlawfully convened and lacked proper authority or any formal delegation of power from the Speaker’s office. He named the House of Assembly and the Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, as defendants.

Obasa’s legal challenge was anchored on nine grounds, relying on provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Rules and Standing Orders of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The court’s ruling effectively renders null and void all decisions taken during the January 13 session.

Just in: China Erases Nigeria:
A Diplomatic Earthquake or a Wake-Up Call?

By George Omagbemi Sylvester

Introduction: A Shocking Move from Beijing
In a move that has stunned the international community, the People’s Republic of China has taken an audacious and provocative diplomatic step:

Removed Nigeria from its official land map

Deactivated Nigerian presence on Chinese apps like WeChat and Weibo

Shut down the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing

Recalled its ambassador from Abuja

These actions are not just a geopolitical insult, they are a direct challenge to the legitimacy of Nigeria as a sovereign state.

Beijing’s Provocation: “Nigeria Has Expired”
According to the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, Nigeria was a colonial construct designed to exist for only 100 years, referencing the 1914 British amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates. Their chilling statement read:

“Nigeria’s continued existence has no historical or legal foundation. It is an expired project being manipulated by a corrupt elite.”

This unprecedented dismissal of a country’s legitimacy by a major power is deeply disturbing and diplomatically irresponsible.

Sovereignty Under Threat: A Dangerous Precedent
China’s actions violate several principles of international law, including:

The United Nations Charter (Article 2): Respect for the sovereignty of all member states

The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961)

The African Union Constitutive Act (2000)

This move sends a dangerous message: that powerful nations can now erase weaker states based on selective historical interpretations.

Hypocrisy at Its Peak: China’s Double Standards
Beijing’s stance reeks of hypocrisy. China is itself a union of vastly different regions and ethnic groups:

Tibet and Xinjiang are held through military suppression.

Hong Kong is governed under the contentious “One Country, Two Systems.”

Taiwan, which China claims, is a fully functioning democratic entity.

How does a country that brutally suppresses secessionist sentiments now justify dismantling Nigeria for the same reasons it opposes in its own territories?

A Wake-Up Call for Nigeria’s Leadership
As painful as this is, Nigeria must reflect on why such an insult was possible in the first place. Over the last decade, the country has deteriorated in almost every global index:

Key Statistics (2015–2024):
Unemployment: Rose from 9.9% in 2015 to over 33.3% in 2023 (NBS)

Poverty: Over 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty (NBS, 2022)

Exchange rate: Naira devalued from ₦199/$1 in 2015 to over ₦1,600/$1 in 2024

Minimum wage: ₦30,000 ($18 monthly equivalent), yet unpaid in over 20 states

Debt to China: Over $4 billion owed, much of it collateralized (DMO, 2023)

Terrorism: Boko Haram, banditry, and IPOB violence still unchecked

China’s declaration may be diplomatically outrageous, but it exposes a fundamental truth: Nigeria has failed to act as a nation-state.

Weaponized Economics: China’s Neo-Colonial Grip China’s economic involvement in Africa has long raised concerns about debt diplomacy and economic colonization. Nigeria, like many African states, fell into Beijing’s web:

Railway projects: Over $2.5 billion funded by Chinese banks

Airport terminals: Chinese-built and financed with opaque terms

Sovereignty clauses: Some loan agreements allegedly waive immunity over critical assets in disputes

If China halts funding or demands repayments, Nigeria’s fragile economy could face collapse.

African Solidarity Needed Now
The silence from African governments has been deafening. If Nigeria, the largest economy and most populous country in Africa, can be humiliated this way, then no African state is safe.

The African Union must:
Convene an emergency summit

Demand a full apology and diplomatic reversal from China

Consider sanctions or diplomatic retaliations if China persists

This is not just a Nigerian issue, it is an African existential crisis.

The Deafening Silence of the West
Western nations, typically vocal about human rights and sovereignty, have responded with vague platitudes. The UK—Nigeria’s former colonizer has said nothing meaningful. The US State Department simply urged “calm.”

This lack of global outcry reflects how far Nigeria has fallen in international relevance. A once-powerful voice in the Non-Aligned Movement, a key peacekeeping contributor, and regional stabilizer is now seen as a failed state.

The Identity Crisis: Who Is a Nigerian?

Beijing’s criticism touches a nerve: Nigeria’s identity crisis.

Over 250 ethnic groups

Three major religions with deep divisions.

Electoral politics driven by tribalism and zoning, not competence.

Secessionist agitations in the South East (IPOB), South West (Yoruba Nation), and Niger Delta

More than a century after amalgamation, there is still no unifying national vision. If China’s insult triggers a much-needed national debate, it could be a blessing in disguise.

From Humiliation to Rebirth
China’s erasure of Nigeria from its map and communication networks is outrageous, unlawful, and racist. But it is also a moment of reckoning.

*Nigeria must now:*

Reclaim its dignity through good governance

Rebuild national unity with a people-first constitution

Diversify its economy to reduce dependence on exploitative powers

Assert itself diplomatically as Africa’s true leader

This is not the end, it could be the beginning of Nigeria’s long-overdue transformation.

A Democracy in Shackles: How APC’s Tyranny Redefines Governance in Nigeria

By George Omagbemi Sylvester

In a move that reeks of insecurity and political cowardice, a prominent opposition figure was recently denied access to a Nigerian state governed by the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was an act so ridiculous, so blatantly undemocratic, that it should outrage every Nigerian who still believes in the sanctity of our constitution. Yet in the twisted world of Nigerian politics under APC rule, such abuses of power are now routine, laughed off by party loyalists and excused by compromised institutions.

This incident, though outrageous, is nothing new. It is just the latest entry in the growing catalogue of authoritarianism that defines APC’s version of democracy. While it may serve as a grim masterclass for future administrations on how to stifle dissent and weaponize state power, it also marks a dangerous shift away from democratic norms and toward full-blown tyranny.

Constitutional Rights Under Siege

Section 41(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution is clear: “Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof.” Denying any Nigerian, let alone a public figure with national relevance, the right to enter any state is not only unconstitutional, it is criminal. When a government starts deciding who can and cannot enter parts of the country based on political affiliation, that government is no longer democratic. It is dictatorial.

It is important to remember that political opposition is not a crime. It is a necessary pillar of democracy. The APC’s action is not governance, it is an attempt to choke the very air democracy breathes.

A Pattern of Repression

This is far from an isolated event. Since the APC took power in 2015, Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented erosion of democratic values. The government has systematically turned law enforcement agencies into tools of oppression. Peaceful protesters are arrested. Opposition campaigns are blocked. Media outlets are intimidated. And now, opposition leaders are being barred from entire states.

In 2018, the Department of State Services (DSS) infamously barricaded the National Assembly, attempting to forcefully change legislative leadership in broad daylight. That same year, the police under the command of the APC-led executive blocked Senate President Bukola Saraki’s convoy. These events were not just violations of individual rights, they were direct attacks on the democratic institution of checks and balances.

Freedom House, the globally respected democracy watchdog, classified Nigeria as “Partly Free” in its 2023 report, citing increased government intimidation of journalists, political opposition, and civil society. Transparency International has consistently ranked Nigeria poorly in corruption perception indices, highlighting the decay of both moral and institutional integrity under APC rule.

Weaponizing Security Forces

The selective use of security forces by APC governors and the presidency has become a dangerous norm. Instead of ensuring public safety and upholding the rule of law, police and military personnel are deployed to serve narrow political interests. During elections, they harass voters and opposition agents. During rallies, they intimidate citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

The recent blockade of an opposition figure’s convoy from entering a state controlled by the APC is yet another abuse in a long line of infractions. This is state-sponsored lawlessness masquerading as governance. What we are witnessing is not just the death of democracy, but it is the burial of accountability.

APC’s Hypocrisy and Double Standards

Perhaps the most galling aspect of this unfolding drama is APC’s shameless hypocrisy. When in opposition, APC politicians cried foul at the slightest provocation. They championed free speech, free movement, and fair elections. Yet now, in power, they have become the very monsters they once condemned.

APC accuses opposition parties of inciting unrest, but tolerates its own thugs terrorizing political opponents. It claims to uphold rule of law, yet governs through executive orders, illegal detentions, and manipulated court judgments. The irony is both tragic and revolting.

Even APC’s internal party structure is a caricature of democracy. Candidates are imposed, primaries are rigged, and dissent is criminalized. It is no wonder that a party so allergic to internal democracy would extend its tyranny to national governance.

A Dangerous Precedent

Let it be clear: what APC has done sets a precedent that should terrify every Nigerian. If one political party can deny access to a state today, what stops another from declaring entire regions as “off-limits” tomorrow? Today it’s an opposition figure; tomorrow it could be a journalist, a protester, a community leader, or even an ordinary citizen with a dissenting voice.

The implications are massive. It undermines national unity. It fosters regional tension. It invites violence. Most dangerously, it signals that political might, not the constitution, now governs Nigeria.

Compromised Institutions, Complicit Silence

Where are the institutions that should speak up? Where is the Nigerian Human Rights Commission? Where is INEC? Where is the National Assembly? Where are the religious leaders, the civil society organizations, the Nobel laureates and public intellectuals?

Their silence is deafening, and dangerous. In democratic societies, institutions are designed to act as guardrails against tyranny. But Nigeria’s have been captured, bullied, or bought. The judiciary, which should be the last line of defense, often bows to political pressure. The legislature acts like an extension of the executive, not a check on it.

When all arms of government fail to stand for justice, the collapse of democracy becomes not just possible, but inevitable.

Democracy Must Be Defended

What the APC is doing is not democracy. It is autocracy painted in green and white. And it must be rejected by all well-meaning Nigerians.

The people must rise, not with violence, but with voices, votes, and vigilance. Civil society must mobilize. The press must expose. International observers must take note. The coming elections must be more than a contest of ballots and they must be a referendum on tyranny.

The opposition must also rise above fear. They must confront the APC not just with outrage, but with strategy, solidarity, and strength. If the democratic space continues to shrink unchecked, Nigeria risks descending into the abyss of fascism.

In conclusion: Defining Our Democracy

If the APC insists on defining its own version of democracy; one built on exclusion, suppression, and brute force, then the Nigerian people must define a democracy that includes every voice, protects every right, and defends every citizen.

Let no one be deceived: this is not about a single state, a single politician, or a single party. It is about the soul of a nation. The battle for Nigeria’s democracy will not be won in silence or cynicism. It will be won by citizens who say enough is enough…who reject fear and demand freedom.

History will not be kind to the APC if it continues down this dark path. And neither will the people, who, when truly awakened, have the power to end any regime that forgets who truly holds sovereignty in a democracy: the people.

Sylvester is a distinguished political and prolific writer. He writes from Johannesburg