First Lady of Nigeria Remi Tinubu has thrown her full weight behind impeached Lagos Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, shielding him from arrest and prosecution from EFCC agents who were ready to pounce on him upon his arrival in the country over a multibillion-naira fraud allegation, presidency sources have told Peoples Gazette.
The sources said the First Lady asked anti-graft agents to hold off on Mr Obasa to avoid creating fissures within the ruling APC’s ranks in Lagos.
EFCC sources previously told The Gazette how a heavy hammer was waiting to fall on Mr Obasa, given the compelling corruption case that was compiled against him.
Detectives had been looking into the Lagos politician since at least 2020, when he was invited for questioning over a series of reports from The Gazette and Sahara Reporters that pointed to his loot and primitive assets accumulation.
He was not charged at the time. But following the recent budgetary scandal exposed by The Gazette, which triggered his ouster on January 13, anti-graft officials said he was ripe again for a probe, which they might finally be able to do without interference.
However, Mr Obasa, last week, braved the odds of his fraught political career in a daredevil move to return to Lagos, Nigeria, from the U.S. to a rousing welcome from supporters.
For a man facing an enormous corruption allegation by the EFCC, Mr Obasa appeared unperturbed and even held a press conference to decry his impeachment as illegal, claiming it did not follow due process.
Sources at the presidency told The Gazette that Mr Obasa’s secret weapon was Mrs Tinubu, as it was the First Lady who told anti-graft operatives to leave him alone.
The First Lady swung into action and blocked EFCC agents from carrying out their duties after gleaning that Mr Obasa was highly influential in political strongholds like Agege, Alimosho and environs —the biggest regions in Lagos State whose voters can ultimately decide who wins any polls.
Mrs Tinubu insisted Mr Obasa’s political sway in Agege and environs would give her husband an upper hand in the 2027 elections and clear his path to a second term, asking anti-corruption agents to hold off action on the embattled politician to avoid creating fissures within the party’s ranks.
“She said he’s useful to them in Agege and environs and they don’t want an immediate crack in their ranks now,” a presidency official said under anonymity to discuss the matter. “She said they should continue their investigation but hold off now on touching him because he’s useful to the party.”
Sources at the EFCC also said they didn’t receive anticipated signal from the presidency to move against Mr Obasa, indicating the immediate impact of Mrs Tinubu’s dubious intervention.
Anti-graft agencies in Nigeria have always been handicapped by the political affiliations of the incumbent, often seeking approvals at the highest levels before bringing criminal charges against corrupt politicians—even where sufficient evidence had already been collected and a matter overdue to proceed.
Mr Obasa declined comments when reached by The Gazette on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, but he had repeatedly denied all allegations of corruption, blamed his political opponents for his ordeal and said all actions leading to his removal as Lagos Speaker were illegal.
At the last 2023 polls, President Bola Tinubu lost the Alimosho region with 62,909 votes to Labour Party’s Peter Obi, who scored 71,327 votes.
Mrs Tinubu did not immediately return a request for comment seeking clarification on why she asked that Mr Obasa be let off the hook.
The State House did not respond to a similar request to understand if it was standard for the First Lady to meddle in affairs that did not concern her office.
EFCC did not immediately return a request for comment as well.
