The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has ruled that all members of the Lagos House of Assembly be joined as parties in the ongoing suit filed by the disputed Speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
Justice Yetunde Pinheiro made the ruling after hearing two applications filed by certain Assembly members seeking to be added to the proceedings. Represented by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) Olu Daramola and Dada Awosika, the members, who were not initially listed as defendants, moved the court to join them in the suit.
Hon. Obasa filed the suit challenging his removal as Speaker by at least 35 of his colleagues on January 13, 2025, while he was out of the country. In the application, dated February 12, 2025, and filed by his lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Chief Afolabi Fashanu, Obasa contended that his removal was unlawful.
During Friday’s proceedings, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Tayo Oyetibo led a team of legal representatives, including Bimbo Akeredolu, to represent the Speaker, Hon. Mojisola Meranda. Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana also represented 34 lawmakers loyal to Speaker Meranda, while Daramola and Awosika acted on behalf of other members seeking to be joined in the suit.
A mild drama unfolded in the courtroom when counsel Abang Mkpandiok stood up to challenge Falana’s representation of the Lagos State House of Assembly. Mkpandiok claimed he had been briefed the previous night by the Assembly and filed a motion for a change of counsel that morning. He argued that the right to choose counsel is a fundamental human right and requested the court address his application first.
In response, Falana objected, stating that he had not been served with the motion and remained the counsel of record for the Assembly. Oyetibo also confirmed that he had not been served with the application. Mkpandiok then elected to serve the application on the other counsel present in court.
After reviewing the court’s records, Justice Pinheiro noted that the application for a change of counsel had not been properly served and was therefore not yet ready for hearing. The judge deferred the matter, ruling that the application would be heard once it complied with the court’s rules. The court also decided that the application for accelerated hearing would not be taken at that time.
The matter has been adjourned until March 7, 2025, to address all pending applications.
Following the proceedings, Speaker Meranda denied rumors of her resignation and condemned what she described as the invasion of the House by the removed Speaker, Obasa, on Thursday. Regarding her security detail, Meranda informed journalists that while she is entitled to 12 police officers and four DSS operatives, she currently only has four police officers assigned to her.
