The Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday dismissed a suit seeking the sack of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) appointed for the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Justice Inyang Ekwo, while delivering the judgment, held that the plaintiffs did not have the requisite locus standi to file the suit. The judge, who said that the development robbed his court of the jurisdiction to look into their prayers, thereafter struck out the suit.
The suit, filed by Akharame Izedome Lucky, Adward Brisibe, Youths Arise for Undiluted Leadership and Development Initiative and Riverrun Development Initiative, was marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/690/2020. The defendants include the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF); the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; NDDC, MD, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei; Dr. Cairo Ojougboh; Mrs. Caroline Nagbo and Cecilia Bukola Akintomide.
Justice Ekwo held that the two groups, among the plaintiffs, lacked the power, by virtue of their registration status, to file such suit challenging the action of government agencies.
As it related to the two natural persons among the plaintiffs, Justice Ekwo ruled that they did not fall among those described as stakeholders in Section 2(1)(b) of the NDDC Act, “who are clothed with the locus standi to query the actions and decisions taken in relation to the management of the NDDC
“I do not see any lacuna in the NDDC Act that would enable any person not mentioned in Section 2(1)(b) thereof to claim to be acting in the interest of either any person mentioned in the provision or not so mentioned.
“In addition to this, I do not see the status given the persons in Section 2(1)(b) of the NDDC Act such that can be delegated to any other person or hijacked by any other person.