- Lawmakers risks contempt if order is disobeyed
The National Industrial Court sitting in Lagos on Thursday, 4 August, 2022, ordered the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, not to obstruct, disturb or frustrate the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission (LAHASCOM), Chief Olawale Mogaji in the discharge of his duties.
The court ordered the Speaker to halt action on the purported sack of Mogaji as LAHASCOM Chairman pending when the motion ex-parte filed by the said Mogaji was heard by the court.
Obasa had, on July 14, 2022, pronounced in a voice vote at the plenary session of the House of Assembly the sack of Mogaji as the Chairman of the Commission.
Mogaji subsequently instituted an action before the court to challenge Obasa’s pronouncement and also filed an ex-parte application to prevent the crust of the matter from being destroyed pending the determination of the case.
In his ruling, Justice R.H Gwandu held that: “Having looked at the processes before me, l hereby order that the defendants should halt any action within the matter pending the hearing of the motion on notice, the interim injunction is granted as prayed.”
Justice Gwandu further directed that any disobedience to the court order shall be treated as contempt of the court.
He also ruled that the claimant should immediately serve the defendants and put them on notice, while the matter was adjourned to August 24, 2022 for hearing.