Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has shifted from an initial governorship ambition and is reportedly set to contest for the House of Representatives seat for Agege Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
PrimeTimes Nigeria learnt that Obasa, who had nursed aspirations to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, intensified statewide political consultations by reviving the Mandate Group, a legacy political structure associated with President Bola Tinubu.
However, Obasa has taken a decisive turn after President Bola Tinubu, in consultation with the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), reportedly settled on Lagos Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, as the preferred governorship candidate.
According to Vanguard, sources within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos said the recent development compelled Obasa to refocus on the Lagos West Senatorial District, with plans to challenge the incumbent senator and former deputy governor, Senator Idiat Adebule.
The move, however, met resistance from the APC’s national leadership and its women’s wing, who mounted sustained pressure for Adebule’s retention.
The APC source said party stakeholders argued that Adebule remains the only female senator from the South-West geopolitical zone, making her “candidacy critical to gender representation in the National Assembly”.
The source disclosed, “His interest gained traction amid internal party considerations to field the Speaker as the APC’s senatorial candidate for the district.”
President Tinubu was also said to have weighed in on the issue and advised Obasa to pursue a seat in the House of Representatives instead.
Another source within the APC fold said, “He was specifically directed to contest for the Agege Federal Constituency currently represented by first-term lawmaker Dr Wale Ahmed.”
The source added that barring the last-minute change, Obasa has since “begun quiet mobilisation efforts within Agege, rallying grassroots support for his new political objective”.