By Ogochukwu Isioma
The court judgment which ordered the reinstatement of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as non-executive chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will be appealed, President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed.
President Buhari disclosed this in a statement issued through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, on Wednesday, in Abuja. He said steps have already been taken to appeal the judgement.
The statement reads in part, “President Muhammadu Buhari has taken due notice of [the] judgment by the federal high court, Abuja, restoring senator Ifeanyi Ararume as the non-executive chairman of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
“While the office of the attorney-general of the federation/minister for justice is yet to receive a formal copy of the ruling, the president affirms that due judicial process will be followed, and NNPCL has already taken steps to go on appeal.
“The administration respects the rule of law, and nothing will be done outside it to resolve the matter. He sues for calm from all sides involved.”
METROWATCHXTRA.COM reports that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday (yesterday) reinstated Ararume as the NNPCL non-executive chairman.
The Court voided his sack and set aside the removal from office carried out on January 17, 2022 by President Buhari on the ground that the action of the President was “unlawful” and “illegal.”
Delivering judgement in a suit instituted by Ararume, Justice Ekwo awarded the sum of 5 billion Naira against President Buhari and NNPCL to be paid to Ararume as damages for his wrongful sack.
Justice Ekwo ordered that the former senator representing Imo North be immediately returned to office as non-executive chairman of the NNPCL.
The judge also declared as ”null and void” all decisions of the Board of Directors of the NNPCL carried out in the absence of Ararume.
Justice Ekwo further held that Buhari acted “ultra vires, wrongful, illegal, null and void” in the ways and manners Ararume was sacked after using his name to register NNPCL and that such “brazen act” cannot stand in the face of the law.
Ararume had sued President Buhari, praying the Court to declare his removal as NNPC chief, illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional and that it is a total breach of the CAMA law under which NNPCL was incorporated.
Aside asking the court to issue an order to return him to office, he also demanded the sum of N100 billion as compensation for damages he suffered all these while following his removal by President Buhari.
President Buhari had appointed Araume as board chairman of the national oil firm in September 2021, but he was later sacked and replaced with Margaret Chuba Okadigbo in January the following year.
