The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, stated on Thursday that he possesses the experience required to contest the governorship of the state.
However, he clarified that he has not seriously considered running for the position, contrary to ongoing speculation.
According to Punch Online, Obasa emphasized that his primary focus has been on strengthening the party in Lagos State. He explained that his efforts to mobilize support for the party have been misinterpreted by "political detractors" as evidence of a governorship ambition.
The Speaker made these remarks shortly after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented the state's 2025 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, a vote of confidence was unanimously passed on the Speaker by lawmakers present at the plenary session.
During the presentation, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu outlined the budget, highlighting a total revenue projection of ₦2.597 trillion and a deficit financing of ₦408.9 billion.
Dubbed the Budget of Sustainability, it allocates 41% (₦1.239 trillion) to recurrent expenditure and 59% (₦1.766 trillion) to capital expenditure. The revenue sources include ₦1.971 trillion in internally generated revenue and ₦626.1 billion in federal transfers.
In response, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa acknowledged that the budget was presented amid widespread economic concerns among Nigerians. However, he urged citizens to remain hopeful as President Bola Tinubu's administration continues efforts to steer the nation toward economic recovery.
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