Following the Ikeja High Court ruling of Thursday, delivered by Justice Yetunde Pinheiro, against the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) Lagos State branch, in the clearance suit filed against the association by Pharm. Alex Ani of Edichart, of which the defendant has been ordered to pay the claimant a total of N300,000 for general damages and cost of action, the Chairman, Lagos State ACPN, Pharm. Olabanji Benedict Obideyi has said the association is going to appeal the judgement.
According to the Vanguard report on the case, “The ruling delivered by Justice Yetunde Pinheiro ordered the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, AMONI Zone, Lagos to grant clearance to one of its members, Pharmacist Eton Alexander Ani to enable him renew his 2018/2019 license”.
It was also gathered from reports that Ani had filed a suit against the coordinator of the association, Pharmacist Aribeana Okechuwu over refusal to grant him clearance to obtain his personal clearance as a practicing pharmacist.
Also in the suit, Ani alleged that Okechukwu being the zonal coordinator of his association refused to grant him clearance even when he had fulfilled and the entire necessary requirement to obtain such clearance. He contended that the action of the defendant was illegal and prayed the court to compel the association to immediately issue him clearance to renew his license.
The ACPN Chairman, who spoke with pharmanewsonline.com through a telephone conversion, acknowledged the defendant, Pharm. Aribeana Okechuwu as a representative of the association, noting that the group still has the right to challenge the ruling to Supreme Court level, “so the issue of paying damages of N300, 000 to the claimant does not arise”.
Pharm. Okechuwu in his own capacity, also told pharmanewsonline.com that he was not satisfied with the judgement, as there were several questions left unanswered by the court, however, going by the traumatic experience he has gone through the pursuance of the case, he might not be willing to continue with the case.
“I am not in agreement with the ruling, because a lot of questions came up which are yet to be answered by the court, but it has been a traumatic experience for me, because we had seven court sessions and in between these sessions, some were postponed, and it cost me my time, though the association was responsible for other logistics for the suit.
“Being a representative of ACPN Lagos State branch, I feel ACPN will be responsible for any damages to be paid and not me. However, as it concerns me as an individual, I would want the case to be terminated at this point, even though I have questions as to how the judge obtained her judgement, I have already stated this to the Chairman of ACPN that I do not want to appeal the judgement, in order to save myself from further trauma.
“And this is the first time I have ever been taken to court, and it’s been a very traumatic time for me. The decision was not based on the merit or demerit of the appeal, is not that I don’t feel that there is a miscarriage of justice, but I just don’t want to subject myself to another session of trauma,” Okechukwu lamented.
However, Obideyi did not agree with the position of Okechukwu, saying that the decision of the association overrides his personal opinion, that as a representative of the association, he has no right to bring up his personal desires.
Obideyi said: “If he was representing the association and when the case came up, the association took it up and got legal counsel and followed up the case, he shouldn’t have gone ahead to speak to press in his own capacity without the permission of the association, and to say he is no longer interested that the association will pay the damages, he is a joker of the year”.
 Lagos State branch, in the clearance suit filed against the association by Pharm. Alex Ani of Edichart, of which the defendant has been ordered){kind=link}