Ararume: Security report may have forced Pres. Buhari to drop him from NNPC’s board — CSOs

More facts have emerged as to why President Muhammadu Buhari dropped Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as the non-executive Chairman of the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

According to the civil society organisations operating under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CCSGGG), a security report on Ararume by the secret police — the Department of State Service (DSS) after he was nominated actually nailed him.

It, therefore, demanded a release of the security report by the secret police without further delay.

The civil society groups demand on Saturday followed a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja reinstating Ararume as chairman of NNPCL.

The coalition, comprising about 25 civil society groups, has threatened to stage a protest against the judgment in Abuja next week.

In a statement a copy of which was obtained by Persecondnews in Abuja, they said the report would give a clear indication of why Ararume was dropped from the board of the NNPCL

It, however, faulted the judgment delivered by Justice Ikwo Inyang restoring Ararume, describing it as a usurpation of the powers of the President.

“We find it curious that the constitutional prerogative of the president to hire and fire especially in a sensitive entity like the NNPC Limited, can brazenly be usurped by the courts.

“We have undertaken to express our dismay by protesting in Abuja next week as the judiciary cannot be seen to overreach itself, which, unfortunately, has become the common denominator over the past few weeks.

“The political implication of what has happened in this matter is not lost on those of us that are watching events in the oil and gas sector keenly.
Convener of the coalition,” the statement signed by Comrade Dominic Ogakwu, said.

It added: “After a hitch-free transition from the wholly owned government entity to a public liability company and focused administration since the unbundling, this judgment seeks to muddy the waters and allow elements with less than noble intentions to undermine the operations of NNPC Limited.

“We had imagined that the courts will take into account not just the national interest but the international dimension and not project Nigeria as an unstable oil and gas investment destination.”

On President Buhari-led administration’s decision to appeal the judgment, the CSOs lauded the move, and expressed the hope that the appellate court would do the needful.