The Board Of Trustee of JONAPWD should make good its promise of bringing peace back to the association.
The suit involving Stanley Onyebuchi and 4 other members of state chapters of the joint national association of persons with disabilities (hereinafter called “our clients”) came up today for ruling on their application for withdrawal which was heard on 18th February, 2020.
Recall that on 29th January, 2019 our clients had approached the high court of the federal capital territory sitting in Bwari, FCT to challenge the unconstitutional conducts of the BOT, the chairman of the convention planning committee, the chairman of the electoral committee, Ekaete Umoh and Yusuf Iyodo.
Specifically, our clients were aggrieved with the setting up of the electoral committee in violation of JONAPWD’s constitution, the convention planning and the electoral committees for conducting sham elections that produced no results, hence winners, and Ekaete and Iyodo for constituting themselves, in kangaroo manners, as presidents of the association, in spite of the botched elections.
It is also imperative to categorically state here that amidst the imbroglio in JONAPWD, the BOT, in his letter of 20th November, 2018 cancelled the entire process which culminated in the leadership crisis and directed all the warring parties (Ekaete and Iyodo) to shield their swords and submit properties, including documents, of the association in their possessions. The directive, however, fell on their deaf ears, hence the commencement of this suit.
Upon an application for order of interim injunction filed by our clients, the honourable court, in its ruling of 19th march, 2019, restrained both Ekaete and Iyodo for further parading themselves as presidents of the association and directed the BOT to continue to manage the affairs of the association.
Due to the hues and cries that trailed the action of our clients for approaching the court for resolution of the dispute and the plea of the BOT to withdraw the suit, our client, in November 2019, filed a notice of discontinuance and subsequently an application for leave of the court to discontinue/withdraw the matter. The ruling on the application was handed down today, the 17th day of June, 2020
So, the court, presided over by Hon. O.A Musa, granted the application as prayed (i.e. struck out the matter).
However, the trial judge, in his wisdom, awarded a cost of fifty thousand Naira in Favour of the 8th defendant (Ekaete), her counsel having earlier sought an award of the sum of three hundred thousand Naira cost which we vehemently opposed.
We therefore call on the BOT to, in the interest of understanding between it and our clients and in the overall interest of peace in JONAPWD, should do the needful to permanently bring an end to the impasse.
In other words, the withdrawal/discontinuance and the consequent striking out of the suit today paves the way for the BOT to assume its constitutional responsibility of managing and conducting the affairs of association until a permanent solution to bring an end to the leadership crisis is attained.
SGD
Kassim Olalekan Lawal, ESQ.,
Counsel for the Claimants.
Below are letters from The BOT cancelling the leadership of the two warring parties
