Lagos Assembly Tussle: Court Adjourns Obasa Suit To Monday

Justice Yetunde Pinheiro of the Lagos State High Court Ikeja on Friday adjourned the suit filed by Hon Mudashiru Obasa challenging his removal as speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly to Monday to hear all new and pending applications in the matter.

Justice Pinheiro ordered that all parties file and serve all necessary processes on themselves to enable the court to hear all the applications at the next adjourned date.

In some pending applications, the deputy speaker and 36 other lawmakers are asking the court to dismiss the suit or strike it out, arguing that the matter has become an academic exercise.

Two new counsel, Olusola Idowu and Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), purportedly representing the four lawmakers who voted against the impeachment of Obasa, also came into the matter. They also have pending applications, having now joined the suit.

After listening to the lawyers, Justice Pinheiro said she will adjourn the matter till Monday in the interest of justice.

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After the court proceedings, Obasa’s counsel, Fashanu, informed journalists outside the courtroom that, in addition to challenging his removal for failure to follow due process, his client is also contesting the allegations listed in the notice of removal.

He said that the allegations include fraud, high-handedness, abuse of office, and gross misconduct, and Fashanu emphasised that his client was not given a fair hearing.

Also, one of the lawyers representing 34 lawmakers recently added to the suit, Romeo Michael, stated that they have a counterclaim.

He said that they are urging the court to declare that Obasa’s removal was constitutional under Section 92 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution rather than being governed by the rules of the Lagos assembly.

Obasa, in the suit, is urging the court to declare that his colleagues in the House acted unlawfully by removing him while the Assembly was in recess.

In the application dated February 12, 2025, the embattled lawmaker claimed that he was removed from his position on January 13, 2025, by 36 lawmakers while he was out of the country.