SOME groups under the umbrella of the Concerned Civil Society Stakeholders (CCS) in Niger Delta have filed a suit against President Muhammadu Buhari over the constitution of the new Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board.

The group sought a restraining order against the inauguration of the newly-named board in suit no FHC/UY/CS/353/2022 instituted before Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The national coordinator of the forum, Ekpuk Jumbo, said at a press conference in Uyo today that the constituted board contravened relevant sections of the NDDC Act 2000.

“Whether the nomination and appointment of the Akwa Ibom representative, Dr Emem Wilcox Wills, on Board, is not an infraction of section 12 (1) of the NDDC Act?

“Whether the purported confirmation of the appointments of Chairman and other members, is not unlawful, null and void, and a crass infraction of the provisions of Section 12 (1) of the NDDC Act, 2000?” formed part of the prayers sought by the plaintiffs in the suit.

The forum called on the President to allow equity, justice and fair play to prevail in the case.

“There shall be for the Commission, a Managing Director and two Executive Directors, who shall be indigenes of oil-producing areas, starting with the member-state of the Commission with the highest production of oil, and shall rotate amongst member states in the order of production,” Jumbo said, stating Section 12 (1) of the Act.

The forum added, “Based on this extant and clear provision, the group, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the defendants, be it by themselves, servants, person or persons howsoever, from further proceedings, sessions, meetings and deliberations howsoever in connection, and or relation to the purported confirmation of Chairman and other members of the NDDC Board.”