Two SANs Storm Out Of Court Over Ararume’s Case Against Removal As NNPC Chair

…As judge fixes March 28, for judgment 

Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, namely; Professor Konyinsola Ajayi and Utigwe Uwa, on Monday withdraw from Court proceedings in the N100 billion suit instituted by Senator Ifeanyi Ararume against President Muhammadu Buhari over his alleged unlawful removal as the Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

The two SANs also stormed out of court following the resolve of the trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo that he was going to rule on all processes and applications separately at the same sitting.

The failure by the NNPC Ltd, represented by

Professor Ajayi, the lead Counsel of the NNPC Ltd legal team had, while identifying his processes for adoption,

drew the court’s attention to a motion for stay of proceedings challenging the January 11, decision of the Court, which had declined to take the NNPCL’s motion of preliminary objection to the substantive suit.

Ajayi urged the court to take the application for stay of proceedings adding that the court should take a decision one way or another before progressing with the case just as he wanted to put in, afresh, his team’s interrogatories for the plaintiff, which the trial judge refused to admit.

Ajayi pleaded profusely with the judge and referred to the position of the Supreme Court that interrogatories are at the heart of fair hearing.

Even at that the Justic Ekwo refused to budge, insisting that he would rule on each process and application separately on the same day adding that each ruling would determine the next step to take.

Apparently frustrated that his strategy to dilate the proceedings in favour of his client did not work, Ajayi told Justice Ekwo that he might need his permission to withdraw from the proceedings.

Justice Ekwo, in quick response, said he did not know how he got into the matter in the first instance, stressing that it was therefore needless to seek his permission to withdraw, adding that the senior lawyer was at liberty to take whatever decision he deemed good.

It was at that point that Ajayi took a bow, picked his files and walked out and was followed by Etigwe Uwa.

While the shocking drama by the SANs was going on, Justice Ekwo called on the Counsel to first defendant (President Buhari), Mr A.H. Usman, to identify his processes and adopt them accordingly, which Usman did.

Similarly, Counsel to the third defendant (Corporate Affairs Commission), A. U. Mustapha SAN, also identified his processes and adopted the same.

The hearing in the matter filed by Senator Araraume, at the Federal High Court, Abuja had been stalled on two previous occasions by the NNPC Ltd.

The plaintiff (Araraume) had instituted a N100 billion suit against President Buhari, over his alleged unlawful removal as non-Executive Chairman of the newly-incorporated Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

President Buhari, the NNPCL and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) are first, second and third defendants respectively in the suit that was commenced by originating summons, which was amended at the instance of the court to accommodate the Corporate Affairs Commission as a co-respondent since the Commission might be affected by the proceedings and rulings of the court.

Specifically, Justice Ekwo had, on January 11, adjourned the matter to January 23, for definite hearing.

When the matter up, on Monday, the judge directed parties to identify and adopt their processes as their briefs of argument in the matter and also informed parties that the court would take all motions together, including the substantive suit.

After all parties had identified their processes and adopted them, Justice Ekwo adjourned the case to March 28, 2023 for ruling (on the applications) and judgment in the substantive suit.