Our stance against Ladoja’s impeachment checked arbitrary removal of govs, deputies – Olanipekun

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, has said the role he and other lawyers played to challenge the removal of former governor of Oyo State, Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja in the courts has checkmated what he described as arbitrary removal of governors and their deputies.

DAILY POST reports that Ladoja was impeached from office in 2005 and later reinstated after a court pronouncement that described his removal as unconstitutional in 2006.

Olanipekun has, however, said he and other senior lawyers were the ones who went to the courts to defend Ladoja, which led to the reinstatement of the former governor.

Olanipekun made these assertions while delivering a keynote address at the opening of the 70th anniversary of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ibadan branch on Monday.

Olanipekun while addressing the gathering said he and other lawyers among whom are Mallam Yusuf Ali, late Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Kola Awodehin, Adeniyi Akintola, Prof Taiwo Osipitan, Afolabi Fashanu and Mohammed Adoke were the ones who went to challenge Ladoja’s removal at the courts.

Olanipekun said both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court agreed with them and declared the removal as illegal.

Olanipekun said that decisions have clearly checkmated the recklessness on the part of some legislators all over the country in arbitrarily removing governors and deputy governors from office.

“And with those decisions, the trial High Court declined jurisdiction to entertain the impeachment proceedings brought by the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and some legislators who were opposed to the wanton removal from office of the then Governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja.

“Both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court agreed with us, that is, Counsel to the Speaker and later, when Ladoja joined as a party at the Court of Appeal, my humble self, Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, Kola Awodehin, SAN, Adeniyi Akintola, SAN, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, Afolabi Fashanu, SAN, Mohammed Adoke, SAN. leading several other members of the Utter Bar.

“For the appellants were O.A. Ayanlaja, SAN, L.O. Fagbemi, SAN, J.K. Gadzama, SAN, Chris Uche, SAN, leading other members of the Utter Bar, although M. F. Lana was then the Attorney-General of Oyo State) that section 188 (10) cannot be read in isolation of section 188 (1)(9) and that for the ouster clause in section 188 (10) to be activated by any court, it must have been demonstrated that the legislators had complied with the provisions of section 188(1)-(9).

“I dare say, that decisions have clearly checkmated the recklessness on the part of some legislators all over the country at arbitrarily removing Governors and Deputy Governors from office”.