Court Orders Tinubu, NNPC Boss To Respond To Suspension Request
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bwari division, has directed President Bola Tinubu and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, to respond to a request seeking Ojulari’s suspension pending the determination of a suit questioning his competence for the role.
Justice Mohammed Madugu, who issued the order, was ruling on an ex parte motion filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Initiative for Promotion of Civic Obligation and Sustainable Peace.
The court declined the group’s immediate requests for Ojulari’s suspension or removal but instructed the defendants to respond to two key reliefs sought in the motion.
The reliefs read, “An interim order directing and mandating the first defendant, in the exercise of his the constitutional duty, to suspend or direct the third defendant (Bayo Ojulari) to temporarily step aside from office as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and in his stead appoint another person in acting capacity, pending the conclusion of the investigation by the second defendant (EFCC) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“An order of interim injunction restraining the third defendant (Bayo Ojulari), being subject of ongoing or an investigation by the second defendant (EFCC) over the aforementioned allegations bothering on gross misconduct, abuse of office, act of money laundering, financial and economic crimes in the discharge of his duties, from discharging duties or exercising the functions of the office of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
The requests form part of six principal reliefs the group filed on November 27.
In the suit, President Tinubu is listed as the first defendant, the EFCC as the second, and Ojulari as the third.
The court also granted the following: it directed the defendants/respondents to show cause within 14 days why prayers three and four should not be granted. It granted leave to the claimant to effect substituted service of all court documents it has filed so far, in relation to the case, on the President through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja.
It is also ordered that the claimant serve the originating documents on the NNPC boss “through the officer or staff of the Legal Department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, at its head office at NNPC Towers, Herbert Macaulay Way, Central Business District, Abuja.”
The judge further issued an order deeming the substituted service on the President and Ojulari as proper and valid.
The court subsequently granted an accelerated hearing in the case and adjourned till January 19 for the hearing.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
