Lawyers for Olalekan Onafeko, the Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly, have threatened to take legal action against Speaker Mojisola Meranda for contempt of court.
The warning follows a ruling by the National Industrial Court ordering Onafeko’s reinstatement after he was removed amid a leadership crisis in the Lagos State legislature.
Onafeko was removed from office on January 13, 2025, following the impeachment of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa. The court instructed Babatunde Ottun, who was appointed as his replacement, to stop parading himself as the Clerk until the substantive case is resolved.
Justice M. N. Esowe delivered the ruling, granting Onafeko’s ex parte application and directing that the status quo ante bellum—the state of affairs before the crisis—be maintained.
However, Speaker Meranda’s alleged non-compliance with the court’s order has prompted Onafeko’s lawyers to consider pursuing contempt proceedings against her.
SaharaReporters learnt that Olalekan Onafeko and his legal team visited the Lagos State House of Assembly to enforce the Industrial High Court’s order.
However, they were unable to access his office as it had been padlocked.
Speaking to journalists at the complex, one of Onafeko’s lawyers argued that Speaker Mojisola Meranda’s actions amounted to contempt of court, and the legal team is determined to hold her accountable.
The lawyer warned that if they return and the office remains padlocked, they would have no choice but to file Form 48 for contempt proceedings against “whoever is there as speaker”.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, one of the lawyers is seen addressing the situation and emphasizing their commitment to upholding the court’s order.
He said: “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, has ordered that Olalekan Onafeko, resume his office as the Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“That order was made and we have served the order on the House of Assembly duly acknowledged by the House of Assembly.
“We are here today to give effect to the order of the court. We got here this morning we were not welcomed but the office is not open. As law-abiding citizens, we have to leave and look for another day to come back because we need to effect that order of court.
“He 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.
“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.”
However, he cautioned that the next course of action would be to cite the current Speaker for contempt for disobeying a lawfully issued court order.
“They have joined issues with us in court, they have filed their processes, they have engaged lawyers including a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), they should interpret the law for them and its consequences,” the lawyer said.
This development highlights the ongoing power struggle within the Lagos State House of Assembly, which has been plagued by controversy and leadership changes in recent months.
The National Industrial Court in Lagos had ordered the reinstatement of Onafeko, who was removed as Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The ruling followed an ex parte application filed by Onafeko through his lawyer, Yusuf Nurudeen, in a lawsuit against the Lagos State Government, Lagos State Civil Service Commission, Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, the Attorney-General of Lagos State, and Mr. Ottun Babatunde.
Onafeko was serving as Clerk of the House until January 13, when Obasa was removed as Speaker, and Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, the then Deputy Speaker, was elected as the new Speaker.
