The former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has filed a lawsuit against the Assembly and its new Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, challenging the legality of his impeachment. The suit, filed at the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, seeks a declaration that his removal was unlawful, as it occurred while the Assembly was on recess.
The application, dated February 12, 2025, and filed by his lawyer, Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), argues that Obasa was removed from office on January 13, 2025, by 36 lawmakers while he was out of the country. In the suit, the former Speaker requests an accelerated hearing of the case and asks the court to shorten the time for the defendants to respond with counter-affidavits or written addresses to seven days after the hearing. He also seeks a reduction in the time allowed for him to file replies on points of law to three days.
Obasa’s application is based on nine legal grounds, focusing on the interpretation of sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Rules and Standing Orders of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He claims that the Assembly acted unconstitutionally by sitting and conducting proceedings during a recess without the Speaker convening the House or delegating authority to another person. He stressed that public interest demands a quick resolution of the case to prevent further disruption of legislative activities in the state. Obasa maintained that the court must urgently determine the legality of the Assembly’s current leadership, as its actions violate established laws and rules.
The former Speaker was impeached on January 13, 2025, by more than two-thirds of the 40-member House over alleged misconduct and financial misappropriation. His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was subsequently elected as the new Speaker, making history as the first female to lead the Lagos State legislative body.
Upon his return to Lagos on January 25, Obasa was welcomed by supporters at his residence in GRA, Ikeja. He dismissed the allegations of misconduct, insisting that his impeachment was orchestrated while he was away and without due process. He also accused the Lagos State Commissioner of Police of facilitating the process, alleging that security agents, led by the police chief, invaded the Assembly complex and his homes in Agege and Ikeja, locking his family indoors with over 200 officers present.
No date has been fixed for the hearing, but the case has drawn significant public attention, with many awaiting the court’s decision on the leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
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