The Senate of the University of Lagos State (UNILAG) on Monday filed an application at the National Industrial Court to discontinue a suit challenging the removal of Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the University’s Vice-Chancellor (VC).
DAILY POST recalls that Ogundipe was removed by the university’s Governing Council on August 12.
The council replaced Ogundipe with Prof. Theophilus Soyombo as the university’s Acting VC.
The defendants in the suit marked NICN/LA/283/2020 were the governing council, its now ‘suspended’ Chairman, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN); the Registrar, Mr Oladejo Azeez; Ogundipe and Soyombo.
The senate, through Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), its counsel, had in the suit prayed the court to declare that Ogundipe’s removal was unprocedural, void and null.
The senate also prayed the court to restrain Soyombo from parading himself as the university’s Acting VC.
However, on Monday, the Senate informed the court that it was withdrawing the suit.
It stated: “Take notice that the claimants in this suit hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the defendants.
The notice of discontinuance was seen by The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
NAN gathered that the decision to withdraw the suit followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in the crisis.
Buhari had asked both Babalakin and Ogundipe to step aside pending the outcome of a visitation panel to be inaugurated on Wednesday.
He also reversed Soyombo’s appointment as the university’s Acting VC.
Consequently, the senate on Monday elected UNILAG’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services) Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, the Acting VC.
DAILY POST