Lawyer of sacked Lagos assembly clerk threatens to sue speaker for ‘court contempt’

Yusuf Nurudeen, the legal counsel to Olalekan Onafeko, the sacked clerk of the Lagos state house of assembly, has threatened to sue Mojisola Maranda, speaker of the house, over “her refusal” to reinstate his client.

The national industrial court sitting in Lagos had, on February 19, ordered the immediate reinstatement of Onafeko who was removed from office on January 13, following the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa, former speaker of the assembly.

The order follows an ex parte application filed before the court by Onafeko through his counsel, Nurudeen.

In his ruling, M. N. Esowe, the presiding judge, granted the ex parte and directed the immediate reinstatement of Onafeko. The judge also ordered Babatunde Ottun, who was appointed as his replacement, to stop parading himself as the clerk until the substantive case is resolved.

Nurudeen said despite the court’s ruling, the assembly’s leadership has failed to reinstate Onafeko, which could lead to potential legal consequences for the speaker and other officials involved.

In a bid to enforce the court ruling, Onafeko and his legal team visited the Lagos state house of assembly complex on Wednesday, but they were unable to access his office, which had been padlocked.

Speaking to reporters at the assembly complex on Wednesday morning, Nurudeen described the assembly’s “defiance” of the court order as a blatant disregard for the rule of law, adding that it sets a dangerous precedent for governance in the state.

He stressed that the judiciary remains the final arbiter of disputes, and any attempt to undermine its rulings could result in severe legal repercussions, adding that the speaker’s action amounted to contempt of court.

“We are here this morning to give effect to the order of court made on the 19th of February 2025. The court by Honourable Justice Maureen Nkechinyereuho Esowe of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), sitting in Lagos, hasordered that Olalekan Onafeko, resume his office as the Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” Nurudeen said in a statement.

“That order was made and we have served the order on the House of Assembly duly acknowledged by the House of Assembly. However, the Assembly is yet to comply with the order.

“The refusal of the Lagos State House of Assembly to obey a valid court order reinstating Mr. Onafeko is a direct affront to the principles of justice and the rule of law. We are left with no choice but to take necessary legal steps, including initiating contempt proceedings against the Speaker and any other individual obstructing the enforcement of the judgment.”

The lawyer said his client was a career civil servant who spent 30 years in the Lagos civil service before his appointment as the clerk, arguing that he cannot just be sacked arbitrarily by the assembly.

“Our client is a civil servant of up to 30 years in service and he has served the Lagos State government meritoriously with several letters of recommendations and promotions till he was appointed the Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” he said.

“So you can’t just by a motion of one honourable who has not even put five years, 10 years into the service of Lagos State government, just wake up and say you are suspending someone for financial misappropriation without any letter stating what he has done at any point in time.

“Today makes it about 40-something days no letter has been served on him of any infractions he has committed in service of Lagos State government.

“We don’t know why this is going on and that’s why we are here this morning to give effect to the order of court. He is a civil servant and there are rules and procedures under the Lagos State Public Service 2015, where someone who is on level 13 should be suspended or be dealt with. None of these things have been abided by.”