By Dansu Peter
Elders of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Diocese of Lagos, have dragged the Trustees of the Church before a Federal High Court in Lagos, alleging mismanagement of the Church affairs.
In the motion filed before the court by the plaintiffs’ counsel, a renown lawyer and former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr. Olasupo Sasore, SAN, the plaintiffs are alleging that the incumbent Bishop of the Lagos Diocese, the Most Reverend Dr Adebola Ademowo, a Trustee himself, has connived with other Trustees of the church to deal improperly with church money.
They are also praying the court to set aside the purported election of the Right Reverend Dr. Humphrey Olumakaiye as the new Bishop of the Lagos Diocese on the grounds that the said election was not only fraught with irregularities, but was also conducted in abeyance to the Company and Allied Matters Act, CAMA, the constitution and the canons of the Church.
Responding, the defendants, the Church and the Trustees, however filed a flurry of objections to the suit on procedural and jurisdictional grounds, challenging the process leading to the suit and subsequently asked the court to dismiss the suit for lack of merit.
Trouble allegedly started in the house of God in February when most Revd Ademowo vigorously campaigned for Olumakaiye as his successor, leading the Elders to swiftly reacted by forwarding a letter of complaint to the Anglican Primate, The Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, requesting for his intervention and the prevention of Olumakaiye’s election.
They also accused Ademowo of allegedly wrongly using his powers as the Bishop and a Trustee to induceby the voting members and the clergy with cash and landed property held in trust for the Church. They added that their complaints were not addressed and the said election was held on February 6, 2018.
This development prompted another letter from the Elders to the Primate for his intervention, but the office of the Primate responded in a letter, debunking their claims, describing them as self-motivated.
In his letter of 28 February, the Primate allegedly stated that “the plaintiffs’ letter had been forwarded to the fourth defendant, Ademowo, (the incumbent Bishop) for his reaction.”
In the statement of claims deposed to by the Elders, Bishop Ademowo, was alleged to have “admitted receipt of the sum of N200 million and N60 million for the construction of his personal residence and purchase of a car” respectively.
The Elders also averred that Bishop Ademowo “attempted to justify these acts by referring to similar acts done for the Right Reverend Peter Adebiyi and the Most Reverend Adebayo Akinde, when they retired from Lagos west and Mainland Dioceses" respectively.
At the hearing of the suit before Justice Olatoregun Ishola, the honourable justice excused herself from the suit and transferred the suit to Justice Aikawa.
This was objected to by the defendants' counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who argued that his clients should have been heard by the judge and subsequently demanded a formal hearing.
The judge subsequently adjourned the suit to May 21 for hearing.
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