The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, have been dragged before the Federal High Court in Abuja over her recent appointment as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the IBB International Golf and Country Club.
The legal action, initiated by three members of the club—Ubong Esop Akpan, Tijani Abdulsalam Ogueyi, and Olalere Babasola—was filed before Justice Emeka Nwite. Other defendants named in the suit include the club captain Ibrahim Babayo, secretary Bola Aliyu-Faniyan, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama.
In a motion ex parte filed on April 14, the plaintiffs are seeking an interim injunction to restrain the defendants from submitting the names and particulars of the newly appointed BoT members to the CAC for approval and registration under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, pending the determination of the main suit.
They are also asking the court to bar Justice Dongban-Mensem and other appointees from presiding over or moderating the IBB Golf Club’s upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled for April 26, or any subsequent rescheduled date, until the substantive matter is resolved.
Additionally, the plaintiffs seek an order restraining the newly appointed trustees and their proxies from assuming office or presenting themselves as duly appointed BoT members while the case is ongoing.
After hearing submissions from the applicants’ counsel, Abdulaziz Ibrahim (SAN), Justice Nwite directed that the defendants be served notice of the proceedings and adjourned further hearing on the motion to April 22, 2025.
In a supporting affidavit, first plaintiff Ubong Esop Akpan, a financial member of the club, explained that the IBB International Golf and Country Club is a registered body with the CAC and operates under a constitution that governs its internal affairs.
He provided evidence, including a copy of the minutes from a meeting held on April 27, 2024 (Exhibit F), where resolutions were passed regarding the appointment of trustees and the amendment of the club’s constitution. The document also showed that Chief Gadzama, the sixth defendant, was directed to oversee the registration process.
Akpan asserted that in line with the club’s constitution and the CAMA Act, the BoT must be composed of individuals elected or appointed by the club’s general membership during a duly convened Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).
He emphasized that no such meeting was held to elect or appoint Justice Dongban-Mensem or any of the other trustees, in breach of Clause 6.2 of the club’s constitution (Exhibit C2).
Furthermore, he reminded the court that the FCT Administration had issued a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to the IBB Golf Club in 2011, under the leadership of then FCT Minister Senator Bala Mohammed, and delivered by the then Permanent Secretary, John Chukwu—reinforcing the club’s legal standing as an independent entity.
