The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Apo on Monday delivered judgment in favour of Godson & Godman Ventures Limited, a media consultancy and publishing firm run by the former editor of Daily Times, Mr. Ken Ugbechie, in a case he instituted against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a breach in the payment of the sum of Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand naira.
In delivering his judgment, Honourable Justice U.P. Kekemeke ordered INEC to pay the plaintiff the said sum in addition to 10 percent interest from the day of the judgment until the debt is liquidated.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Agwu E. Agwu, had argued that the plaintiff was duly awarded a contract to provide media consultancy services for the defendant and that the job was satisfactorily executed as attested to by the defendant. He urged the court to rule in favour of his client as the case falls under undefended list. According to Agwu both he and his client had made several attempts to ensure that the matter is settled amicably out of court through the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) department of INEC but that such efforts were frustrated by the defendant.
Agwu urged the court to rule in favour of his client as INEC has shown bad faith since March 26, 2014 when notice was served the commission yet it made no effort to respond to the notice. INEC was not represented in court.
The former Editor of the Daily Times and member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors had dragged INEC before an Abuja High Court over alleged refusal of the commission to pay him for contract executed.
Ugbechie, publisher of the Political Economist magazine, through his firm, Godson & Godman, had demanded the sum of N7.5 million being the contract sum as well as 10 percent interest on the judgment debt starting from the date judgment is entered until same was liquidated.
Ugbechie in his statement of claim said that his company Godson & Godman was on January 19, 2010, awarded contract by INEC to inspire and generate expository articles, commentaries, news analysis, editorial and comments amongst other to sufficiently enlighten the electorate on all that the commission was doing to ensure hitch-free election of the 2011 general elections.
He averred in an affidavit in support of the suit that the said contract was thoroughly verified by the officers of INEC after completion. According to him, despite repeated demands, the defendant has refused to pay the N7.5 million due to his company, since the contract was executed.
He added that after the receipt of the plaintiff’s solicitors’ demand letter, the defendant referred the matter to its department on Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR, adding that his lawyer also had a meeting with the director of the defendant’s ADR, wherein it was decided that the matter be referred to the Public Affairs Department for confirmation.
He added that the Public Affairs Department of the defendant, had since confirmed that the contract was creditably executed by the plaintiff, but despite the above confirmation, the defendant was yet to pay the said contract sum to the plaintiff.
