The reinstated Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, may have turned down President Bola Tinubu’s directives that the suit initiated against his colleagues be withdrawn, after the lawmaker pushed further his request to change counsel for the Assembly before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja before it was dismissed by the court.
It dismissed the suit after rejecting Obasa’s application to replace his colleagues counsel, Femi Falana, despite arguments to state reasons for the suit to stand by the party that initiated the appeal.
I’m a ruling delivered on Monday, Justice Yetunde Pinheiro stated that Falana remain the valid lawyer for the other lawmakers dragged before court by the reinstated speaker.
Obasa, who argued through his counsel, Olusola Idowu, cited the Assembly’s right to change its legal team and referencing a National Industrial Court order allegedly reinstating suspended clerk Olalekan Onafeko, who reportedly briefed a new legal team.
However, Falana countered that he had not been debriefed by the Assembly and denied the existence of any reinstatement order for Onafeko.
He also urged the court to first address his application for a stay of proceedings, citing a pending appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging an earlier lower court decision.
Representing Obasa on other matters, Abimbola Akeredolu, argued that the application was tied to unresolved substantive issues in the case, while Olu Daramola, representing 33 of the 40 lawmakers (the 3rd to 35th defendants), claimed the majority of lawmakers had suspended Onafeko and retained Falana, accusing the opposing side of misinterpreting the Industrial Court’s order.
After listening to their appeals, Pinheiro overruled Falana’s request to prioritize the stay of proceedings but upheld his position as the Assembly’s counsel, emphasizing the need to resolve the representation dispute directly.
In another application by Falana to rule out the case, the counsel argued that the court does not possess the jurisdiction to interfer in matters of the assembly.
He noted that the speaker of the house of elected by members of the house and he can be removed from seat only by the members.
After the proceedings, Justice Pinheiro adjourned the case, informing the court that a date will be communicated to the parties involved.
