THE “sacked” Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has withdrawn a suit challenging his removal from office.
This decision, according to his lawyers, was taken in deference to the authority of President Muhammadu Buhari as a Visitor of the University.
A statement, on Friday, by one of his lawyers, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, said the National Industrial Court, which he earlier approached, never sat or conducted any proceedings in respect of the court case.
The Wale Babalakin-led Governing Council of the institution, rose from an emergency meeting, held at the National Universities Commission, Abuja, last Wednesday, and issued a statement informing the public and stakeholders of the institution of the immediate removal of the VC.
Adegboruwa said, “Contrary to the falsehood being peddled by mischief makers, the National Industrial Court has never sat or conducted any proceedings in respect of the court case filed by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Ogundipe.
“No court proceedings ever took place at all and so no decision or ruling has been rendered by the court. Indeed, upon detailed consultation with all stakeholders and his supporters in and outside the University, Professor Ogundipe directed his Lawyers to file a notice of discontinuance of the suit and this has been done on August 21, 2020.”
He added, “This is to defer to the authority of the President as the Visitor of the University as Professor Ogundipe has enough time to challenge his purported removal. This falsehood is being spread to malign the court and blackmail the Judiciary by enemies of the rule of law and due process.
“The general public is therefore advised to discountenance these mindless fabrications as the handiwork of those who are afraid of subjecting their illegal acts to the true test of probity and to be wary of fake news being peddled in place of truth, especially as they relate to deliberate manipulation of court proceedings. There was no time that the court sat to fix any date for the case.”
