President Muhammadu Buhari has announced that steps are already being taken to appeal the court judgment which ordered the reinstatement of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as a non-executive chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, NNPC, Limited.
The decision to appeal the judgement was made known on Wednesday in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
Adesina said the president had taken due notice of judgment by the Federal High Court, Abuja, restoring Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as the non-executive Chairman of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
He quoted the president as saying while the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation /Minister for Justice was yet to receive a formal copy of the ruling, he (the president) affirmed that due judicial process would be followed, and NNPCL had already taken steps to go on appeal.
He stated that the president assured that his administration respected the Rule of Law, and nothing would be done outside it to resolve the matter.
He appealed for “calm from all sides involved.”
It would be recalled that Ararume was appointed as the board chairman of the national oil firm in 2021 by the president.
However, he was fired in 2022 and replaced with Margaret Chuba Okadigbo.
Displeased by the action of the president, Ararume filed a suit against the government, claiming that he was wrongfully sacked.
Delivering judgement in the case on Tuesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered the reinstatement of Ararume as a non-executive chairman of the NNPC, with all rights and privileges due to him.
The court added that all the decisions made by the board after the removal of Ararume since January 2022 till date should be set aside.
It also awarded the sum of N5 billion as damages in favour Ararume.
