The legal team of Mudashiru Obasa, the expelled Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has stated that there are no plans to withdraw the lawsuit filed to challenge his ouster as Speaker.
Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), Obasa’s lead attorney, told the press on Tuesday that he was prepared for the court hearing scheduled on February 28, notwithstanding political efforts to resolve the Assembly problem.
Fashanu further stated that Obasa intends to return to the Assembly only after obtaining a judicial verdict.
According to Fashanu, Obasa’s return to the House while the case is still pending in court could be considered illegitimate.
Obasa, who was impeached by the majority of lawmakers on January 13, 2025, had earlier in February taken the new Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, and the legislature to the state High Court in Ikeja to seek redress.
Obasa, who was dismissed as Speaker of the House, was in the United States when he learned of the event.
He had subsequently rejected his dismissal, citing illegalities in the actions of the approximately 36 parliamentarians that ousted him.
Upon his return on January 25, Obasa stated that he was still the Speaker of the House.
“My status in the house? I strongly believe I am still the Speaker until the right thing has been done. If you want to remove me, remove me the proper way, and I will not contest it,” Obasa said while addressing newsmen on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
Since Obasa’s resignation and Meranda’s appointment as Speaker, the Lagos Assembly has been embroiled in a crisis that has proven difficult for the powerful Governors Advisory Council to address.
As the crisis persisted, President Bola Tinubu appointed former governors of Osun and Ogun states, Chief Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba, to intervene and resolve it.
From Sunday to Monday, the two All Progressives Congress leaders had continuous sessions with the crisis-affected parties.
It was gathered that the mediating panel recommended that both Obasa and Meranda leave the speakership position for another lawmaker from the Lagos West Senatorial District.
It was also gathered from some of the GAC members at the Sunday meeting held at Governor’s Lodge in Marina that the panel would also be asking Obasa to withdraw his suit against the lawmakers.
Sources alleged that they learned that Obasa would be asked to voluntarily resign, and the panel is expected to brief President Tinubu on its intervention.
Speaking on if Obasa would be withdrawing the suit in court given the intervention of the APC leaders, his lawyer, Fashanu, said he had not been briefed by his client on such a move.
“Well, that intervention, for me, is still a rumor, because nothing of such has been communicated to us, as the legal team. So, what we all read in newspapers, we don’t even know the genuineness or authenticity of the news on the purported settlement.
“Our client has not communicated anything to us in the nature of withdrawal. So, we are still preparing for the case until otherwise.”
Emphasizing the commitment of the legal team to champion Obasa’s case, Fashanu said, “Nothing is certain in life except death. All we can say is that, as lawyers, we will try our best to facilitate the cause of our clients.
“Don’t forget that we are not the judge that will decide the case. But on our part, we will put in our maximum effort, and we believe he has a very good case. So, subject to the overriding power of the deciding judge, we are good to go.”
On whether he believes a peaceful conclusion is preferable to going to court, Fashanu stated that he is not a politician and that his client is better suited to make that decision.
“Let me first of all start by saying I am not a politician. So, the political aspect of it will probably be left to the players. But our client will be in a better position to know whether the terms of settlement that are being arranged will be in his best interest.”
When asked if Obasa would wait for the court verdict before returning to the Assembly, the counsel stated, “As a law-abiding student, I don’t believe he would want to take any illegal action.”
According to him, Obasa’s return to the Assembly before the court case is resolved would be illegal.
“That means he will be taking laws into his own hands, and I don’t think he would want to do that. If he had wanted to do that, I’m sure from day two or day three, he would have done that (returning to the House),” the lawyer said.
