By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The Federal High Court, Abuja presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, on Tuesday,18 April, 2023, restored Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as the non-executive Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited.
The court set aside his removal by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, which happened on January 17, 2023.
Ararume had dragged Buhari before the court praying it to declare his removal as the NNPCL chief illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional and that it was a total breach of CAMA law under which the NNPCL was incorporated.
Furthermore, he prayed the court to issue an order to return him to office and also demanded N100 billion as compensation for the damages he suffered nationally and internationally.
Delivering judgement, Justice Ekwo voided Arume’s sacking and awarded N5 billion as damages against Buhari and the NNPCL, to be paid for the disruption of Arume’s appointment on the ground that the action of the President was arbitrary, unlawful and illegal.
The justice ordered that Ararume be immediately restored to office as the 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 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 the NNPCL and that such an act could not stand in the face of the law.
