NDDC Appointments: Court strikes out suit against Buhari

A Federal High Court in Abuja struck out a suit instituted against President Muhammadu Buhari to challenge an alleged lopsidedness in the appointments into the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Why the court struck it out: The Suit instituted by an Abuja-based businesswoman and NDDC stakeholder, Chief Mrs Rita Lori Ogbebor was struck out by the Court on the grounds that the plaintiff has no legal rights to have instituted the case.

What the judge said: Justice Inyang Ekwo in his judgment, on Thursday, January 19, held that section 2 of the NDDC Act 2000 was so specific that any legal action on any infraction in matters relating to NDDC can only be instituted by corporate persons and not individuals like the plaintiff.

The Judge held that the law was clear that the power to file any case to challenge infractions in the NDDC can not be delegated by proxy to anybody.

About the court case: Mrs Ogbebor, a stakeholder from Itsekiri extraction had dragged President Buhari, NDDC, Senate, Dr Pius Odubu, Olorogun Bernard Okumagba and the Attorney General of the Federation AGF to court.

What she wanted: Ogbebor prayed the court to invoke Sections 4 and 12 of the NDDC Act to order President Buhari to appoint indigenes of oil-producing areas of Delta State as Chairman in specific compliance with section 4.

The plaintiff also prayed for another order compelling Buhari to appoint Itsekiri indigene from oil-producing areas of Delta State as the Managing Director of the NDDC.

She further asked that the Court make a declaration that Buhari is under legal obligation to comply with all laws relating to appointments in the NDDC.