A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has refused to grant the interim order sought by the suspended General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mrs Joyce Oduah.
Justice A. R. Mohammed sitting as a vacation judge rather ordered that the Respondents should be put on notice.
Oduah had sought the following reliefs exparte:
An Order Of Interim Injunction Of This Honourable Court directing parties in this suit to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the Motion on Notice seeking interlocutory orders of injunction;
An Order Of Interim Injunction of This Honourable Court restraining the 6th Defendant/Respondent or any other person by whatsoever name called other than the Plaintiff/Applicant from acting as the General Secretary or performing the duties of the General Secretary of the 1st Defendant/Respondent pending the remaining period of the Plaintiff/Applicant’s tenure as the General Secretary of the 1st Defendant/Respondent or determination of the Motion on Notice, whichever is earlier;
An Order Of Interim Injunction of This Honourable Court, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice, restraining the Defendants by themselves, through their officers, servants, privies, agents or any other persons(s), agencies or individuals deriving power, command, authority, instruction or directives from it from acting or relying on or continuing to rely on, act on, implement, give effect to, interfere with or do anything to the prejudice of the Plaintiff/Applicant based on the decision document titled: “Resolution of the Meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association held on 15 August, 2022” wherein the Plaintiff/Applicant was purportedly suspended from office as the General Secretary of the 1st Defendant/Respondent by the 3rd to 11th Defendants/Respondents;
An Order of interim injunction, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice, restraining the Defendants by themselves, through their officers, servants, privies, agents or any other persons(s), agencies or individuals deriving power, command, authority, instruction or directives from them from suspending/removing the Plaintiff/Applicant as the General Secretary of the 1st Defendant/Respondent (the Nigerian Bar Association);
An Order Of Interim Injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents, their agents, servants and or privies from interfering with, frustrating or otherwise obstructing the Plaintiff/Applicant, the General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, in the course of her duties as General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
An Order Of Interim Injunction pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice restraining the 2nd to 11th Respondents, either by themselves, their servants, privies, officers, agents, cronies or howsoever from further harassing, threatening, intimidating, assaulting and/or attacking the Plaintiff/Applicant for any reason whatsoever.
An Order of interim injunction pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice directing the 12th Defendant/Respondent, either by themselves, their servants, privies, officers, agents, cronies or howsoever from further harassing, threatening, intimidating, assaulting and/or attacking the Plaintiff/Applicant for any reason whatsoever.
In Pursuance Of (1) To (8) Above pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice, AN ORDER directing the 12th Defendant/Respondent (Inspector General of Police), and/or other officers under his Command and/or the Commissioner of Police, and all other officers as the Commissioner of Police may designate and Court Bailiffs to assist the Plaintiff/Applicant in the discharge of her duties as the General Secretary of the 1st Defendant/Respondent together with all other rights of whatever kind deriving from or incidental to any of the foregoing orders and also in execution of the orders herein made.
Recall that Mrs. Odua filed an Originating Summons before the court seeking for an order of court to declare the emergency meeting of the NBA National Executive Committee wherein she was suspended as improperly convened, unconstitutional, illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever and consequently revoke the said suspension.
Hearing of the Motion on Notice was subsequently adjourned to 23 August 2022.