By Abba Onyekachukwu, Abuja
Concerned members of the Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN) are calling on the Association’s Board of Trustees (BoT) to comply with a court order and conduct a legitimate election to install new leaders. This directive follows a court judgment in the case of Alhaji Abdulaziz Edochle and 12 Ors vs the Incorporated Trustees of Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN) and 13 Ors, delivered by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Bwari.
During a press briefing organized by the concerned members in Abuja, High Chief Vitus Ofodum, the former Chairman of LECAN in Abuja, and the CEO, Vitek Engineering Company Limited, Abuja read out a communique outlining the court’s judgment. The communique emphasized the need for the BoT to obey the court order and conduct an election in accordance with the judgment.
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The call for a legitimate election is aimed at ensuring that LECAN has legitimate leaders, and the concerned members are urging the BoT to take immediate action to comply with the court order.
High Chief Vitus Ofodum, a member and former Chairman of LECAN’s Abuja branch, addressed the media alongside fellow members from various branches and chapters across Nigeria. He explained that LECAN is a licensed association regulating electrical installations and cables, governed by a well-defined constitution.
According to Ofodum, the association was due for a national executive election in 2022, but a group attempted to hijack the process, violating the constitution. The members sought legal advice and took action to prevent the association’s collapse.
High Chief Vitus Ofodum explained that after writing to the Association’s purported executives to address concerns, they were met with silence, prompting them to seek legal action. They sought to nullify the “vote of no confidence” passed on the national executives, which they believed subverted the association.
Fortunately, the high court delivered its judgment on February 24, 2025, declaring the notice of the meeting where the “vote of no confidence” was passed as unconstitutional, null, and void. The court also declared the national executives occupying offices as null and void, restraining them from parading themselves as executives of the association.
Additionally, the court ordered that the national executives are immediately restrained from accessing the association’s bank account. The association was directed to conduct national elections in line with the election procedure outlined in the association’s constitution, ensuring proper agenda, quota representation of delegates, and notices are followed.
In conclusion, Ofodum urged all affected persons to note that the court’s order must be obeyed to the letter, warning that failure to comply may result in further action, including contempt proceedings.
