The suit filed by Lagos-based rights activist, Mrs. Rita Lori-Ogbebor, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, restraining President Muhammadu Buhari, attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, and president of the senate, Ahmad Lawan from inaugurating a new board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) pending the release of the forensic audit report, comes up for hearing tomorrow.
Also joined in the lawsuit are the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, and clerk of the National Assembly, as third and fifth defendants.
The president, Malami, and Lawan are the first, second, and fourth defendants in the case.
In the originating summons dated July 26, 2021, in suit No: FHC/ABJ/744/2021 filed by her solicitors, Patrick Oganwu & Associates, the plaintiff wants the court to stop the defendants from raising a new board for the commission, except the forensic audit report is made public.
She raised a number of questions for the court to determine, including whether by the provisions of the NDDC Act 2017, the first defendant can exercise his powers, control, and supervision over the NDDC by issuing a directive ordering a forensic audit of the activities of the NDDC from 2001 to 2019 and whether the first defendant is bound to receive the report of the forensic audit and act on same before taking any further step in constituting or reconstituting the NDDC board.