COSON HAS LOST NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE – JAMES ONONIWU

 

Mr. James Ononiwu, principal partner in the Lagos law Firm of the WhiteDove Solicitors, lawyers to COSON, has reacted to a story making the rounds suggesting that COSON has lost a case against Efe Omorogbe & co. Following is the reaction of Mr. Ononiwu.

Our attention has been drawn to some gloating making the rounds on social media and shared extravagantly by one Pretty Okafor. The gloating is about a case said to have been lost by COSON at the Federal High Court on May 23, 2018. The fact is that before the matter was struck out by Honourable Justice Saidu, COSON had briefed its lawyers to withdraw the suit which had become academic. Indeed, COSON lawyers had planned to file a motion for withdrawal after the ruling regardless of the outcome. To all intents and purposes, the matter was dead.

It is necessary to state that there was no decision made by the court on the merits of the case. The truth is that the case which was challenging the holding out of Efe Omorogbe and some of his colleagues as Directors of COSON had become merely academic. Since their removal from the Board, in keeping with its rules and as a democratic organization, COSON has held two Annual General Meetings at which Board elections had been conducted and Omorogbe and his colleagues did not participate.

The gloating is like dancing when there is no music to dance to or celebrating when there is nothing to celebrate. If Pretty Okafor and his cohorts think that they have scored a victory over COSON, then it is a hollow and meaningless victory. If they wish to get drunk, they can drink all they want but not because of any victory over COSON.

The fact is that Efe O. Omorogbe has absolutely no platform anymore to refer to himself as Director or Chairman of COSON. His position on the Board has come to an end.

It is well known that he was removed by the COSON General Assembly on December 19, 2017. We are aware that he has contested his removal but as a result of the effusion of time, even if he remained on the Board, without re-election, his term had since come to an end.

Furthermore, there is an order of the Federal High Court restraining Efe Omorogbe from parading himself as Chairman of COSON. That order has not been set aside. Even if it is set aside, Efe Omorogbe who is no longer on the Board of COSON still cannot be Chairman. Time has seen to that.

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