Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe who was removed from his position as the vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has withdrawn a lawsuit he filed at the National Industrial Court to challenge his removal by the varsity’s governing council.
Ogundipe had filed an ex parte application, which was pending for hearing before the court.
Listed as defendants in the suit were UNILAG, the varsity’s council, its Senate, pro-chancellor Wale Babalakin, registrar Oladejo Azeez and the acting vice-chancellor Prof. Theophilus Soyombo.
During hearing on Friday, Ogundipe’s lawyers, Tayo Oyetibo and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, told the court they were discontinuing the case.
The notice of discontinuance filed pursuant to Order 61(1)(1) of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (Civil Procedure) 2017 simply read “Take Notice that the claimant doth hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the 1st-6th defendants.”
Mr Adegboruwa explained in a statement afterwards that the court did not refuse Prof. Ogundipe’s case as widely believed.
He said the VC took the decision to drop the suit “upon detailed consultation with all stakeholders and his supporters in and outside the University.”
“This is to defer to the authority of the President as the Visitor of the University as Prof. Ogundipe has enough time to challenge his purported removal,” he added.
