Agbakoba asks court to sack Buhari as petroleum minister
Posted by Factnews | 6 years ago | 2,181 times
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to remove President Muhammadu Buhari as Minister of Petroleum Resources.
In a suit which the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Shehu Malami, is listed as respondent, Agbakoba has asked the court to determine if Buhari can hold the ministerial portfolio without Senate confirmation.
He said the chaos at the NNPC would not have happened if the president was not petroleum minister.
“I verily believe that the governance chaos in the NNPC could not have occurred if the president is not also the minister of Petroleum Resources.
“I am aware that the NNPC provides up to 90 percent of the revenue accruing to Nigeria.
“I am worried that the crisis in the NNPC will greatly reduce Nigeria’s revenue-generating capacity and will affect the revenue distributable to federal, state and local governments in Nigeria.
“This will gravely affect development nationwide and drastically impact one and all Nigerians, including those in Anambra State (my state of origin) and Lagos State (my state of residence).
“I looked at section 138 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and I verily believe it disqualifies the president from holding executive office, including that of the minister of petroleum resources, during his tenure of office as president.
“I also know that the president did not go through (any) nomination process and confirmation by the Senate, before holding the office of minister of Petroleum Resources
“I, again, looked at section 147 (2) of the 1999 Constitution and I verily believe it prohibits anybody from holding the office of a minister of the Federation, without confirmation by the Senate.”
Regardless, the case has not been scheduled for hearing.
Agbakoba had earlier filed a suit against the government challenging the composition of the NNPC board, at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
He asked the court to dissolve the board because it is illegal.
The court has also not fixed any date to hear the suit.
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