Court-Reinstated Lagos Assembly Clerk Onafeko Calls His Suspension ‘Breach Of House Rules’
He stated that it was carried out in violation of the Standing Orders of the House.
The reinstated Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olalekan Biliamin Onafeko, has condemned those who suspended him before the court reinstated him, describing the suspension as unlawful.
He stated that it was carried out in violation of the Standing Orders of the House.
Onafeko, in a statement he personally signed, disclosed that his appointment as Clerk was for a four-year tenure, with eligibility for reappointment as stipulated under Section 21 of the Lagos State House of Assembly Legislative Service Commission Law, Ch. L34, Vol. 5, Laws of Lagos State, 2015 (2021 as amended).
According to him, his tenure had been marked by a good record of service since his confirmation as Clerk on January 14, 2022.
However, while on an official study tour of the United States Congress in Washington DC, he received news of his indefinite suspension.
Onafeko claimed that the last properly convened sitting of the House, which he had communicated to lawmakers as Clerk, took place on January 6, 2025, and was adjourned until February 18, 2025.
However, he said a sitting was suddenly held on January 13, 2025, without his knowledge or a directive from the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, as required by the House’s Standing Orders.
“At the purported sitting of January 13, 2025, which was convened in contravention of the Standing Orders, Honourable Olanrewaju S. Afinni, representing Lagos Island II Constituency, abruptly moved a motion for my indefinite suspension over alleged financial misappropriation, an allegation I had no prior notice of,” Onafeko stated.
He further asserted that before leaving Nigeria on January 8, 2025, with the Speaker’s approval, he had not been served any query, notified of any wrongdoing, or invited to any panel of inquiry regarding financial misconduct.
“As a civil servant who has risen through the ranks based on merit and dedication, I strictly adhere to the public service code of conduct and maintain political neutrality. I am not a politician and cannot be subjected to arbitrary decisions by elected officials,” he said.
Onafeko maintained that his career is governed by the Lagos State House of Assembly Legislative Service Commission Law and the Lagos State Public Service Rules.
He insisted that until he received news of his suspension while in the U.S., he was unaware of any investigation initiated by the Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission (LAHASCOM) into his office.
He explained that the Lagos State Government Public Service Rules (Revised 2015) have extant provisions on disciplinary procedures for a Civil/Public Servant of my cadre. Such disciplinary procedure must be undertaken before discipline.
“Immediately after the unfortunate incident, I consulted my team of Lawyers and we approached the Court to challenge the action of the Lagos State House of Assembly and my indefinite suspension on the 13th of January, 2025 at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in SUIT NO. NICN/LA/23/2025: Mr. Olalekan Biliamin Onafeko v. Lagos State Government & Ors. The Court per HON. JUSTICE M. N. ESOWE made a preservative order of STATUS QUO ANTE LITEM MOTAM ‘the state of affairs before the parties began to litigate’ (that is, the events of Monday, the 13th January 2025).
“By implication, the Court has ordered that I resume my duties as the Clerk of the House pending the hearing of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction already filed in the suit. The said order has been duly served on the concerned parties.
“This is victory for the Rule of law and ethos of a civil society. The Court is indeed the last hope of the common man including the oppressed. The Court has nibbed the illegality and this legislative rascality of the on bud,” Onafeko added.
