Some events have rocked the month of February, becoming topical issues. Within Nigeria has analysed some of these reports that made headlines and shaped the month of February.
DSS invade Lagos State Assembly
The Lagos State House of Assembly drama started on the 13th of January, when 32 members impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, and Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda was sworn in as the new Speaker. Obasa was accused of gross misconduct and abuse of office, in addition to previous allegations of corruption and financial misappropriation.
In 2024, the Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition accused the Assembly of spending N17 billion to construct a gate and N200 million on the House’s 22nd Thanksgiving service for staff, both claims which Obasa denied.
On February 17, the Department of State Services (DSS) invaded the Lagos legislative chamber, preventing members from sitting and further locking the offices of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Acting Clerk. They claimed an invitation was extended to them by the Clerk of the House to maintain law and order and to avoid the forceful reinstatement of Obasa on February 18, which could lead to a security risk.
However, in response, the members protested, describing the action of the DSS as a rape of democracy. The Lagos Assembly confirmed the DSS invite and said the secret service was only meant to support and not invade its offices and premises.
Obasa, who will not back down from claiming his dethroned seat, sued the Lagos State House of Assembly to challenge his removal from office, insisting that due process was not followed.
Violence in Osun amidst rising political tension
The former chairman of Irewole Local Government Area, Aderemi Abbas, and six others lost their lives in the violence that took place in Osun State on February 17. Punch reported a series of violent incidents across different parts of the state, including Iragbiji, Olaoluwa, and Isokan areas.
According to reports, Abbas was killed by unknown gunmen while he and his colleagues were trying to access the local government secretariat in Ikire. Recall that the election held by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) on October 15 was nullified by a Federal High Court in Osun State. The judge, Justice Ayo-Nathaniel Emmanuel, ruled that the election was illegal, null, and void, and was not conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act of 2022. Justice Emmanuel ordered the local government chairmen and councillors across the state to vacate their offices immediately.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, the All Progressives Congress (APC) approached the appellate court to seek redress. A judgment by the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure was delivered on February 10, 2025, which ultimately triggered violence in the state.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, noted that the appeal court judgment effectively restored the tenure of the sacked local government chairmen and councillors and advised the Osun State government to abandon any plans to conduct new local government elections.
In response, the Ademola Adeleke-led government insisted that the appeal court did not order the sacked chairmen back to their offices and proceeded to hold elections on February 22, as supported by a State High Court in Osogbo.
Controversy trails IBB’s book launch
“We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to immediately order the prosecution of General Babangida for crimes against humanity and for orchestrating a coup d’état that subverted the democratic will of the Nigerian people,” the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) said in reaction to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB)’s autobiography launch.
IBB, who was a military president between 1985 and 1993, launched his autobiography, A Journey in Service, on February 20 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The event was graced by President Bola Tinubu and other African leaders, including Goodluck Jonathan, Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.
IBB’s regime as a military president was marred by violence following the death of veteran journalist Dele Giwa and the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was believed to be Nigeria’s most credible election. In his autobiography, IBB confirmed that the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Moshood Abiola, won the June 12, 1993, presidential election but denied involvement in Giwa’s death. He has since faced several criticisms from Nigerians.
A founding member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Fred Agbeyegbe, said the ex-general and his colleagues should be continuously held accountable for what Nigeria is facing today, having had the opportunity to allow the outcome of the June 12 election to stand but, for personal interest, annulled it.
“If Babangida is serious and remorseful, he should issue a public apology and beg Nigerians for his actions and stop talking to Nigerians as if we meant nothing.
“Did Babangida understand that many people died because he annulled the election? Did he realise the economic impact of the annulment? Did he know how the annulment destroyed the peaceful coexistence among the ethnic nationalities in this country? Did he also realise and think back on the damage his military constituency did to Nigeria? I don’t think he should continue to take Nigeria for granted,” Agbeyegbe said.
Hafsat Abiola-Costello, daughter of the late Chief MKO Abiola, in her reaction, said her father’s victory at the polls was always known.
“For decades, Nigerians have known the truth. This is not new to us. But it is important that history records it from those who played a role in that dark chapter,” she added.
Femi Aborisade, a pro-democracy activist who protested the 1993 annulment, told Punch that Babangida should be in prison for the rest of his life.
He said, “IBB is a tyrannical villain who should be tried for annulling the democratic electoral choice of the Nigerian people in the June 12 presidential election. IBB sheds crocodile tears. He is insincere in his so-called regrets. He has done incalculable damage to societal development.”
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