Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe

The sacked Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe has disputed claims that his application for an injunction to stop his removal for office was rejected by the National Industrial Court.

Rather, the embattled Professor said he ordered his lawyers to discontinue a suit challenging his ‘removal’ in deference to the authority of President Muhammadu Buhar,  the varsity’s Visitor, as advised by his lawyers.

Ogundipe’s counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, who said this in a statement on Friday claimed that contrary to the media reports,  the National Industrial Court had neither sat nor conducted any proceedings in respect of the court case.

In a statement, Adegboruwa said: “Contrary to the falsehood being peddled by mischief makers, the National Industrial Court has never sat or conduct any proceedings in respect of the court case filed by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin 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 Lawyer’s to file a notice of discontinuance of the suit and this has been done on August 21, 2020.

“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.”