Court declines to sack NDDC board chairman, Ebie

A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused an application to sack the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chiedu Ebie.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a judgement on Thursday, dismissed a suit by the oil-producing communities in Bayelsa and Delta states against President Bola Tinubu over Ebie’s appointment.

According to the judge, the suit had become statute-barred as the action was filed three months after the appointment, which is outside the time provided by law.

The communities had approached the court to nullify what they termed as President Tinubu’s illegal appointment in the NDDC.

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According to the communities, President Tinubu’s appointee, Mr Ebie, was not qualified to head the board of the NDDC since he is not from “the oil-producing area with the highest quantum of oil production” and breached the NDDC provisions.

The suit joined President Tinubu, the Senate President, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the NDDC as defendants.

Though the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/28/2024, was initially brought before the court by three oil-producing communities in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State such as Bisangbene, Agge and Amatu1- through their leaders, Chief Goodnews Gereghewei, Chief Eddy Brayei and Mr Jonah Engineyouwei.