The reinstated Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, is pressing forward with his lawsuit at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, challenging the allegations levelled against him by 35 lawmakers that led to his removal on January 13, 2025.
Obasa was removed following allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office, and the deputy speaker, Mojisola Meranda was elected as his successor.
However, on March 3, Obasa was reinstated as the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly following Meranda’s resignation.
At the resumed hearing of the suit filed by Obasa to challenge the legality of his removal before Justice Yetunde Pinheiro, the case was adjourned to Monday, March 10, 2025, for the hearing of all applications, including Mr. Obasa’s originating summons.
His counsel, Afolabi Fasanu, SAN, argued that despite Mr. Obasa’s re-election, the lawsuit remains relevant.
He maintained that the Speaker is contesting the allegations in the removal notice, ranging from fraud and high-handedness to abuse of office and gross misconduct on the grounds that he was denied a fair hearing.
Meanwhile, Romeo Michael, counsel for the 34 lawmakers (listed as the third to thirty-sixth defendants), asserted that even if Mr Obasa withdraws his suit due to his reinstatement, their counterclaim remains valid.
The lawmakers are seeking a court declaration that his removal was constitutional under Section 92 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, rather than being governed solely by the rules of the Lagos Assembly
Meanwhile Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos during the 2023 elections, has criticised President Bola Tinubu of orchestrating the re-election of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Assembly, claiming that it was part of a deliberate strategy to tighten the president’s control over the state.
In an interview with the League of Yoruba Media Practitioners, Rhodes-Vivour expressed his dissatisfaction with the president’s role in Obasa’s return after his removal by a majority of lawmakers.
Rhodes-Vivour alleged that the president was undermining the democratic process in Lagos by manipulating the legislative body to ensure Obasa’s continued hold on the position.
He criticised the trend in which lawmakers no longer serve as true representatives of their constituents but instead act as employees of the president.