An Awka High Court in Anambra State, presided over by Justice Ike Ogu, has restrained the former Chairman of Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers, Nkpor Unit, Gilbert Obiekezie from further parading himself as chairman of the association.
The court also restrained two other executive members of the association from parading themselves as officers of the NAPPMED, Nkpor Unit, forthwith.
Delivering a judgment on Tuesday, in a suit filed in 2010 against Obiekezie and two others, by three aggrieved members of the association, Ekelemchi Nwokolo, Hon. Chris Okolo and Chief Vincent Onyechi, Justice Ogu also awarded a sum of N100,000 against the defendants.
The court noted that its judgement was based on the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and the provision of Exhibit ‘D’ which is the Constitution of Anambra State Chapter of NAPPMED, a regulatory body to all the units under the state, including Nkpor.
The judge, however, dismissed some other reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, which included, an injunction restraining the defendants from holding proposed congresses and other agenda, hence according to him, the dates for such proposed congresses and agenda lined up by NAPPMED while this suit lasted have been overtaken by events.
According to Justice Ogu, since the first defendant, Obiekezie himself claimed during cross-examination that he was no longer the chairman of NAPPMED, he does not have anything to lose if he is restrained from further parading himself as Chairman of NAPPMED, Nkpor Unit, and accordingly, he is hereby ordered to stop holding himself out as such henceforth, having exceeded his two-term of four years each as provided in relevant sections of Anambra NAPPMED Constitution.
He added that from all indications, Obiekezie had exceeded his tenure so much so that he has no business to continue remaining on seat, having assumed office as Chairman since 1987 till 2010 when the plaintiffs brought this suit against him.
The plaintiffs, through their legal counsel, Sir Amechi Okafor had dragged the defendants to court asking that they be restrained from holding themselves out as officers of NAPPMED.
The plaintiffs also asked the court to order the defendants to pay them a sum of N500,000 as damages for overstaying their tenure in office, contrary to the provision of NAPPMED Constitution.
Reacting to the judgement, the incumbent Chairman of NAPPMED, Nkpor Unit, Elder Benjamin Nnanna commended Justice Ogu for the judgment and described the judiciary as really the last hope of the common man.
Nnanna, therefore, advised all the parallel members of the association who are still loyal to Obiekezie to come back to the fold and join the authentic NAPPMED in Nkpor Unit.
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