CSOs drag Buhari, Akpabio to court over legality of NDDC’s interim board
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has okayed a suit seeking to sack the interim management committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, constituted by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The public interest suit marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/1597/2019 was lodged before the court by a coalition of 10 Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, in the country.
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President Muhammadu Buhari was cited as the 1st defendants in the Originating Summons the CSOs filed through their lawyer, Mr Okere Kingdom.
Other defendants in the matter are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio, the NDDC itself, its interim Management Board, as well as the Senate.
The coalition is among other things, praying the court to sack the interim management committee of the NDDC that was constituted by Akpabio and to also issue an order compelling the members to refund to the NDDC coffer, all salaries and emoluments they received while illegally occupying the office.
Specifically, the plaintiff posed the following questions for the determination of the court: “Whether having regard to the express provisions, spirit and tenor of section 2 (2) (a) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (Establishment) Act, the Hon Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio (who is the 3rd and 4th defendants in this suit) has the express statutory or in any way possess any powers to appoint a three-man Interim Management Committee for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“Whether having regard to the fact that President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has duly exercised his statutory powers to appoint the Chairman and Members of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission and same appointment having been confirmed by the Senate; the purported appointment of an Interim Committee by the Hon Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio is ab initio illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”
