The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has ruled that the removal of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly was illegal and unconstitutional.
Justice Yetunde Pinheiro, delivering judgment on Wednesday, April 16, declared the January 13, 2025, proceedings that led to Obasa’s ouster “null and void.” She also set aside all resolutions passed by the House on that day.
Obasa, who had filed a suit against the Lagos State House of Assembly and Mojisola Meranda—the lawmaker appointed to replace him—argued that the process of his removal was fundamentally flawed.
Represented by his counsel, Chief Afolabi Fashanu, the former Speaker told the court that “the decision to remove him was taken by 36 lawmakers while the Assembly was on recess and he was out of the country.”
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He maintained that the session was invalid as it was convened without his authority or any formal delegation of power, a direct breach of the Assembly’s internal procedures.
Obasa’s suit rested on nine legal grounds, citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Standing Orders of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Despite reports that President Bola Tinubu attempted to broker peace between both camps, Obasa pressed ahead with the suit, questioning the legitimacy of the process that installed Meranda as Speaker.
With the court’s ruling, Obasa is expected to return to his position as Speaker, although it remains to be seen how the House will respond to the decision.