The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, stated on Thursday that he possesses the necessary experience to contest for the governorship of the state but emphasized that he has not seriously considered running for the position, despite ongoing speculation.
Obasa clarified that his primary focus has been on strengthening the party within the state. He explained that his consistent efforts to mobilize support for the party have been misinterpreted by “political detractors” as a sign of a governorship ambition.
He made these remarks shortly after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented the 2025 state budget, totaling ₦3,005,935,198,401.
Obasa said, “I have made it a personal task to mobilise people on the platform of Mandate, which has been misconstrued by some political detractors as being a selfish aspiration on the ground for me to become governor of the state. There is the need, however, to correct this wrong impression. My concern is about building our party, and whatever we do is mainly for this cause.
“To the blackmailers who have embarked on the mission to distort and redefine our mission, let me state it unequivocally here, our intention is to promote our party on the platform of Mandate.
“Also, becoming governor is secondary; it is something that I have not given serious consideration. Nevertheless, that does not mean I am too young or lack experience to run; whereas, those who have been before me are not better off.”
The Speaker added, “In addition, it is also important to correct the impression from some naysayers who have been insinuating that I made payment to seek for blood relation in Ojo to validate my candidacy to run as governor. Of course, I have never denied the fact that I am Obasa. But rather, I have never claimed to be related to Onikoyi, Oniru, or any of the other popular Lagos families as the case may be. I can indeed never run from the fact that I am related to my Obasa family in Ojo. But I do not need local validity to contest or run. If eventually I am contesting, I will do so from Agege.”
Earlier, all the lawmakers present at plenary passed a vote of confidence in the Speaker.
During his presentation, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu outlined that the 2025 budget consists of a total revenue of ₦2,597,034,000,000, with a deficit financing of ₦408,902,000,000.
The ‘Budget of Sustainability’ includes recurrent expenditure of ₦1.239 trillion (41%) and capital expenditure of ₦1.766 trillion (59%). The budget will be funded through total revenue of ₦1,970,897,000,000 and federal transfers amounting to ₦626,137,000,000.
Reacting to the presentation, Speaker Obasa acknowledged that the budget was presented amid widespread concerns by Nigerians over the economy. However, he urged citizens to remain hopeful, assuring them that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to driving the nation’s economic recovery.