No record of Obasa as a lawyer in our registry - Supreme Court

More trouble may be brewing for Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, as the Supreme Court of Nigeria has revealed that there was no record of him as a lawyer in their registry.

The apex court keeps records of all certified lawyers allowed to handle cases in any Nigerian court.

Obasa's profile on Wikipedia and the Lagos Assembly’s website describes him as a lawyer and solicitor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even though there is no mention of where he practiced or a case he handled.

He is also described on the Assembly's website as graduating from the Nigerian Law School in 2007, a year after he obtained a Bachelor of Law degree from the Lagos State University.

But in a response to an enquiry on the subject matter on July 24, 2020, the Supreme Court categorically stated that Obasa’s name was not found on the numerous rolls of legal practitioners kept with it.

The letter signed by one Gertrude B. Karenton-Mordi on behalf of the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and seen by SaharaReporters on Monday, said, “This is to inform you that we have checked our records and cannot find the name: MUDASHIRU AJAYI OBASA on the nemerous Rolls of Legal Practitioners kept in this honourable court.

"MUDASHIRU AJAYI OBASA is at liberty to come to the honourable court with his call to bar and qualifying certificates for enrollment.”

Interestingly, this is not the first time that the 47-year-old Lagos Assembly Speaker will be linked to a scandal -- the latest merely adds to a long list of alleged wrongdoing Obasa had been discovered to be involved in.

Recall that in a series of reports a few weeks back, SaharaReporters exposed how Obasa fraudulently approved millions of naira for himself through the award of contracts to companies owned by him.

Other reports also revealed how he approved N17m monthly to maintain his personal residence and guest house, and N53m from the state coffers to travel with his mistress to the United States of America.

It was also revealed that 19 lawmakers led by Obasa went for a women leadership programme and received N80m as estacode after returning from the programme.

Despite several petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by anti-corruption groups, the agency is yet to initiate the process of investigating the allegations against the Speaker and prosecute him if found culpable.