Hearing in the N100 billion suit instituted against President Muhammadu Buhari by Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume stalled at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday over improper service of court papers.
Though the suit was slated for hearing, it
was shifted to another date following the discovery that the amended
originating summons meant for the newly incorporated Nigeria National Petroleum
Company Limited was served on the Federal Ministry of Justice.
At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to
NNPCL, Oluseye Opasanya, informed the court that all his processes were filed
based on the initial originating summons.
He told Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo that the
initial originating summons ordered to be amended to accommodate the Corporate
Affairs Commission, CAC, as a defendant in the suit was not served on him.
At this point, counsel to Ararume, Chief
Chris Uche disagreed with the claims of the NNPCL lawyer adding that the
amended originating summons had been served on all parties as required by law.
A search for proof of service in the case
file by Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, however, showed that the service of the
originating summons was on the Federal Ministry of Justice and not on the
NNPCL.
This prompted the NNPCL lawyer to volunteer
to link up with the ministry to pick up the amended originating summons and
re-file his processes to accommodate CAC as one of the defendants.
Justice Ekwo subsequently shifted the
definite hearing in the suit till January 11, 2023, to enable parties to amend
their processes to accommodate the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Justice Ekwo warned that all lawyers
involved in the matter must file and exchange all their processes before the
adjourned date, adding that any counsel who fails to adhere to the warning
would be personally penalized by the court.
Ararume had last month sued President
Buhari for N100 billion over his alleged unlawful removal as a non-executive
chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited.
He is demanding the sum as damages caused
him by the alleged unlawful manner he was removed as the NNPC chairman after
using his name to incorporate the entity.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/691/2022 was
instituted on his behalf by a group of Senior Advocates of Nigeria comprising
Chief Chris Uche, Ahmed Raji, Mahmud Magaji, Ogwu James Onoja, Kingsley Nwufor
and Gordy Uche.
Ararume prayed for an order of the Court
setting aside his removal by Buhari vide letter of January 17, 2022, with
reference number SGF.3V111/86.
He also sought an order from the court
reinstating him forthwith and restoring him to office with all the rights and
privileges of the office of the NNPC’s non-executive chairman.
He further demands the nullification and
setting aside of all decisions and resolutions of the board of NNPC Limited
made in his absence from January 17, 2022, to date and another order
restraining the defendants from removing his name as director of the company.