UNILAG crisis: Senate withdraws suit against Babalakin, others

The Senate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), on Monday, filed an application at the National Industrial Court to discontinue a suit challenging the removal of the university’s Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
Ogundipe was removed by the university’s Governing Council on August 12.
The council replaced him with Prof. Theophilus Soyombo as 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; Soyombo and Ogundipe.
The senate, through its counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), had in the suit prayed the court to declare that Ogundipe’s removal was unprocedural, null and void.
The senate also prayed the court to restrain Soyombo from parading himself as UNILAG’s acting VC.
However, on Monday the senate informed the court that it was withdrawing the suit.
“Take notice that the claimants in this suit hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the defendants,” it stated.
The decision to withdraw the suit followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in the crisis.
The president had asked both Babalakin and Ogundipe to step aside pending the outcome of a visitation panel to be inaugurated on Wednesday.
The president also reversed Soyombo’s appointment as UNILAG’s Acting VC.
The president also directed the senate to reconvene to nominate an acting vice-chancellor from among its members.
Consequently, the senate on Monday elected the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services) Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, as the Acting VC.