Court Strikes Out Motion Against Rivers JUSUN

A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State presided over  by Justice  Chinwendu Nwogu,  has  struck  out an exparte application  by a splinter group of the  Judiciary Staff  Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Rivers  State chapter seeking a declaration that its executive was the rightful and legitimate one.
Justice Nwogu  also awarded N30,000 cost against the applicants, Mr. Francis  Osaronugwe and two others  for lack of diligence in the matter.
The applicants, Francis  Osaronugwe and two others in a suit, PHC/260/2017 brought before the court among other  things are seeking  the leave of the court through  their application, motion  exparte to declare them as executive of the State chapter of JUSUN.
The group which is contesting  the leadership of the union with the Comrade Sokari George-led executive wanted  the court to recognise them  as the  legitimate care-taker committee that should be  empowered to preside over the affairs of the union in the state.
However,  when the matter was called for hearing, neither  the applicants nor  their lawyer was in court.
The trial judge,  Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, on that premise, struck out  the application following the observation raised by the defence lawyer, Barrister Kio Daketima Gabriel.
The defence lawyer  informed  the court that the applicants were  not diligent  in their matter and added that they  had not been in the court for four consecutive times since  the matter commenced. He prayed the court to strike  out the application and award application cost against them for lack of diligence  which the court granted. The trial judge later adjourned the matter to the 8th of June for notice of preliminary objection by the defence counsel.