SS Peter and Paul vs Fr. Agbo: Court Jails Akor, Father Agbo’s Stooge.
Reverend Father Patrick Agbo of the Catholic Diocese of Lafia has lost his bid to impose an illegal Executive of SS Peter and Paul Idoma Catholic Community(SSPPICC), Keffi Branch and also creating a branch of the same Catholic community in Mararaba Guruku, in Nasarawa State.
Delivering the judgment, Justice D.D.Adeck, of the High Court of Mararaba Gurku in the Nasarawa Judicial division in a charge no.NSD/MG167/2018 and motion no. NSD/MG167m1/22 dated October 4th, 2023 ruled that Reverend Father Patrick Agbo has no powers to disband the Executive council of the Idoma Catholic Community, Keffi Branch not to talk of establishing another caretaker committee as he illegally did.
The development is coming in the face of several past judgements which were not obeyed by Father Agbo and his illegal executives, notably, the judgment of the same court on December 18, 2019, which required the caretaker committee to vacate their positions and disbanded the Mararaba Guruku branch.
Subsequently, Emmanuel Akor, who was the chairman/President of the Caretaker Committee was found guilty and jailed for his flagrant disobedient to court orders and judgment.
The plaintiffs, Mr. Ferdinand Idoko and Mr. John Olekwu in their suit no. NSD/MG167/18 filed on November 07, 2018 before Hon. Justice Daniel D. Adeck of the High Court of Nasarawa State in the Mararaba Judicial Division, sought the following reliefs:
-A declaration that the tenure of the office of the plaintiffs and other Excos had not expired aa there has not been any vote of no confidence passed on them by the house neither has any of them tendered resignation letters, just as none of them is dead to warrant the declaration of their office vacant as being done by Rev. Father Patrick Agbo , the first defendant.
A declaration that the purported setting up of the caretaker committee by the unilateral decision of the 1st defendant be declared null and void to the extent its inconsistent to article 6 of SSPPICC constitution.
A perpetual injunction restraining the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants from setting up and electoral panel to conduct election into the office of the executive position of Saints Peter and Paul Idoma Catholic Community Keffi Branch.
An order restraining the 4th defendant from handing over the books and other documents of the association to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants or their cohort or whatever it may be called.
A declaration of the honorable court that the newly created branch by the initiation and act of the 1st defendant be declared null and void for same having fall short of the provisions of Article 13 of the constitution of the association.
An order compelling all the caretaker committee members to vacate their positions having been set up against the constitution of the association spirit mandate.
In an affidavit to support he is originating summons, the plaintiffs averred among other things that the association’s constitution spelt out facts which may be responsible for the removal of any executive member from office which are in article 6(d)1 of the constitution of SSPPICC 2017.
They further averred that members of the executive cannot be disbanded by any unilateral decision of any member, patron, Bishop, Rev Father or any other person without proper recourse to the constitution of the association, stressing that the executive members were elected in line with the constitution and they must leave office in accordance with the constitution.
The plaintiffs are also praying the court to grant the restraining order of interlocutory injunction on Rev Father Patrick Agbo and his collaborators, so that he will not carry out his dastardly act of impunity of forcing the present Exco out of office for no reason, adding that the present Exco should be allowed to finish their tenure and to allow them to recontest if they so wish.
Joined as Co-defendants we’re; Mr. Emmanuel Akor, Mr. Sunday Agada and Stephen O. Ekoja as 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants respectively.
