By  Abdulwahab  Abdulah

Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has dismissed the application by Mrs. Alero Jadesimi, a daughter of the First Republic Finance Minister, Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, instituted to stop the hearing of a suit that questions her right to allegedly disperse her late father’s assets without her sibling’s consent.

In the judgement, the court held that Jadesimi’s application lacked merit and was wrongly filed. Justice Tsoho also ruled that the application and its supporting affidavit contradicted some provisions of the Evidence Act.

The woman was asking the court to strike out names of the late Minister’s companies :Afro-Nigeria Export and Import Company Limited and Afro, Nigeria Export and Import Properties Limited from the suit filed by her 13 siblings.

The trial judge further held that the averment contained in paragraph 3(b) of the affidavit in support of her action where-in she argued that the plaintiffs failed to secure the authority of their father’s companies before instituting their case on their behalf lacked merit. Mrs. Jadesimi had also challenged her siblings’ claim of being directors in the companies.

In their counter affidavit, the plaintiffs, described the application as a ploy to frustrate the hearing and determination of the case, adding that the suit they filed was authorized by majority of the companies’ directors.

They submitted that six out of the companies’ seven directors authorised the institution of the suit. They urged the court to give effect to the said authority by dismissing the application and determine the case.

The plaintiffs, led by Adolo and Bawo are, in the substantive suit, praying the court to among others, restrain Mrs. Jadesimi from further selling the deceased’s assets held in the name of the companies.

The suit has Mrs. Jadesimi (sued for herself and on behalf of the estate of her late mother, Mrs. Victoria Okotie-Eboh) her children, Sarah and Jide, as defendants.

The plaintiffs said their request for a restraining order was informed by their alleged discovery that the defendants have allegedly sole a property on 1,Milverton road, Ikoyi, Lagos belonging to their late father, without their knowledge.

They alleged that the said property with an actual value of N800million was undervalued.