The Senate of the University of Lagos has filed an application at the National Industrial Court to discontinue a suit challenging the sack of the varsity’s Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
Ogundipe was purportedly ‘removed’ by the university’s Governing Council and replaced with Prof Theophilus Soyombo as acting VC.
The defendants in the suit, marked NICN/LA/283/2020, were the varsity’s Governing Council, its now suspended Pro- Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), the Registrar, Mr Oladejo Azeez, Soyomo and Ogundipe.
But the Senate, through its counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), prayed the court to declare that Ogundipe’s ouster via an August 12, 2020 letter was unprocedural, null and void.
The Senate also prayed the court to restrain Soyombo from parading himself as UNILAG acting VC.
“Take notice that the claimants in this suit hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the defendants,” the notice of discontinuance seen by The Nation reads.
The Nation learnt the decision to withdraw the suit followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in the crisis.
The President, who is visitor of the university, last Friday asked Babalakin and Ogundipe to step aside and reversed Soyombo’s appointment as acting VC.
He appointed a seven-member committee to investigate the controversies in the school.
The President also directed the Senate of the school to convene to nominate an acting vice-chancellor form among its members.
The varsity Senate has since elected Prof. Folasade Ogunsola as acting VC.
