The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has ruled that the removal of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly was illegal and unconstitutional.
According to The PUNCH, Justice Yetunde Pinheiro, who delivered the judgment on Wednesday, voided the House’s proceedings and resolutions from January that led to Obasa’s ouster. The judge held that due process was not followed in the attempt to remove him.
Obasa had approached the court after his removal, naming the Lagos State House of Assembly and Mojisola Meranda — who was appointed as his replacement — as defendants. His legal team, led by Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), argued that the action was taken while the Assembly was on recess and that Obasa was out of the country at the time.
“The sitting was convened without the authority of the Speaker or a formal delegation, making the process null and void,” Fashanu told the court.
Obasa’s suit, built on nine legal grounds, cited relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He argued that the lawmakers acted outside their powers by attempting to replace him in his absence.
