Mudashiru Obasa, the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has filed a lawsuit against the Assembly and its new Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, at the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, challenging the legality of his removal.
In his suit, which has yet to be assigned to a judge, Obasa is asking the court to declare that his colleagues acted unlawfully by removing him while the Assembly was on recess.
Filed on February 12, 2025, by his lawyer, Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), the application claims that Obasa was removed from his position on January 13, 2025, by 36 lawmakers while he was out of the country.
He is requesting the court to schedule an expedited hearing and reduce the time for the defendants to file their responses to seven days after the hearing, with only three days allowed for the plaintiff to file replies on legal points.
Obasa’s application challenges the constitutionality of the Lagos State House of Assembly’s actions, arguing that the Assembly’s sitting and proceedings during recess were unlawful because the Speaker did not convene the House or delegate the authority to someone else.
He asserts that the matter requires urgent resolution in the public interest to prevent disruption of legislative activities in the state.
The former Speaker maintains that the court must swiftly determine the legality of the current Assembly leadership, as it contravenes the relevant laws and rules.
Obasa also contends that the court has the authority to grant expedited hearings and impose time limitations.
No hearing date has been set yet.
Obasa was impeached on January 13, 2025, while he was abroad, by over two-thirds of the 40-member House over allegations of misconduct.
His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected as the new speaker, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the South-West state.
Upon returning to Nigeria on January 25, Obasa held a rally at his residence, where he denied the allegations of corruption and reiterated that due process was not followed in his removal.
He claimed his impeachment was orchestrated while he was away, accusing the state’s police commissioner of facilitating the process.
Obasa also alleged that security forces, led by the police commissioner, stormed the Assembly complex and his homes in Agege and Ikeja, locking his family inside while more than 200 officers were present.
He denied the accusations of financial mismanagement.
