Justice Yetunde Pinheiro of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has adjourned the hearing of the suit filed by the reinstated Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to March 17, 2025.
Obasa is challenging his removal as Speaker on January 13, 2025, following accusations of fraud, high-handedness, abuse of office, and gross misconduct leveled against him by 35 lawmakers. The respondents in the case include members of the Lagos State House of Assembly and former Speaker Mojisola Meranda.
The court had initially set the hearing for March 10, 2025, but during Monday’s proceedings, Femi Falana (SAN), counsel for the House of Assembly, informed the court that Obasa’s legal team, led by Afolabi Fasanu (SAN), had served additional affidavits on the same day. Falana pointed out that the new affidavits required his clients to respond.
Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), representing Meranda, also noted that the new affidavits contained serious fraud allegations against his client. He requested an adjournment to properly respond to the new application.
Olusola Idowu (SAN) also made his appearance as the incoming counsel for the House of Assembly in the case. Falana requested that the court address the application for a change of counsel before dealing with any other matters, citing a Court of Appeal decision that mandates the trial court to consider a counsel change before any other issues.
Justice Pinheiro agreed and ruled that all applications, including those seeking injunctions and challenging jurisdiction, would be heard together on March 17, 2025. The application regarding the change of counsel will also be addressed at that time. She instructed all parties to file, serve, and exchange their processes before the next hearing.
Following the intervention of the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership, Obasa was reinstated as Speaker, while Meranda was asked to step down and return to her position as Deputy Speaker. Despite this political resolution, Obasa has refused to withdraw his suit, which was filed prior to his reinstatement, signaling ongoing tensions between him and the other lawmakers.
Meranda, in her departure from the Speaker’s role, stated that her decision was made out of respect for the party’s authority, not out of cowardice. Many lawmakers, in an emotional session, expressed their respect for Meranda while accepting Obasa’s reinstatement as Speaker in deference to the party’s decision.
