The legal team representing Mudashiru Obasa, the removed Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has confirmed that he will not be returning to the Assembly until a court ruling is issued regarding his removal.
Obasa’s lead counsel, Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), stated on Tuesday that there are no plans to withdraw the lawsuit filed to challenge his removal. He noted that the legal team is fully prepared for the scheduled hearing on February 28, despite ongoing political efforts to resolve the Assembly crisis.
Fashanu explained that returning to the House before a judgment is given would be an inappropriate move. “Our client has not communicated anything to us in the nature of withdrawal. So, we are still preparing for the case until otherwise,” he stated.
Obasa was removed from his position as Speaker on January 13, 2025, while he was in the United States. Upon returning to Nigeria on January 25, he publicly rejected his removal, stating that due process was not followed.
“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,” he said while addressing reporters.
Following his removal, the Lagos Assembly has been in turmoil, with the emergence of Mojisola Meranda as the new Speaker deepening the crisis. The powerful Governors Advisory Council (GAC) has struggled to resolve the issue, prompting President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
Reports indicate that Tinubu enlisted former Osun and Ogun state governors, Chief Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun Osoba, to mediate between the parties. The two APC leaders reportedly held meetings with stakeholders from Sunday through Monday to find a resolution.
Sources within the GAC told PUNCH that the mediation panel recommended that both Obasa and Meranda step down for a neutral lawmaker from Lagos West Senatorial District. It was also suggested that Obasa should withdraw his lawsuit against the Assembly voluntarily.
However, when asked about the possibility of withdrawing the case due to political intervention, Fashanu noted that no official communication had been received.
“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,” he said.
Fashanu reaffirmed the legal team’s dedication to Obasa’s case, stating, “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.”
