Catholic Priest, Others Lose in Court over Illegal Dissolution of Idoma Community EXCO

Catholic Priest, Others Lose in Court over Illegal Dissolution of Idoma Community EXCO

A Catholic Priest, Rev Father Patrick Agbo of the Catholic Diocese of Lafia, who is also the Parish Priest of Saint Aloysius Catholic Church, Doma, in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, has lost in Court over a case brought against him for his unilateral and illegal dissolution of the executive members of Saints Peter and Paul Idoma Catholic Community (SSPPICC) Keffi Branch.

Joined as losers and Co-defendants are; Mr. Emmanuel Akor and Mr. Sunday Agada as 2nd, 3rd defendants respectively.

The plaintiffs, Mr. Ferdinand Idoko and Mr. John Olekwu had filed 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.

In his judgement, the Judge ruled that the reliefs sought by the plaintifs are hereby granted, adding that the tenure of the office of the Excos of the Isoma catholic Community had not expired and 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 Judge also held 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 that it is inconsistent to article 6 of SSPPICC constitution.

The court also restrained the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants from setting up any electoral panel to conduct election into the office of the executive position of Saints Peter and Paul Idoma Catholic Community Keffi Branch.

The Honourabke court also ruled 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.

It also ordered all the caretaker committee members to vacate their positions having been set up against the constitution of the association.

PRNigeria recalls that on the 11th day of August 2018, a meeting was called by the Catholic Bishop of Lafia Diocese in order to reconcile grievances by the warring groups, most especially the undue interference by Rev Father Patrick Agbo in the affairs of the Association and his penchant for aligning with corrupt former executive members of the association. After the Bishop has chastised his children and ordered them to be of one mind and thought and finally left the venue of the meeting, Rev Father Patrick Agbo, the chaplain of the association unilaterally dissolved the exco and immediately constituted another caretaker committee with Mr Emmanuel Akor as Chairman which ran contrary to article 6 of the association’s constitution 2017 currently in force without reason or reasons adduced for such dissolution. In an affidavit to support the 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.

By PRNigeria