In a major legal victory, a Federal High Court in Abuja has restored Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume as the non-Executive Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The court ruled that Ararume’s removal by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 17, 2023, was arbitrary, unlawful, and illegal.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, the court voided the President’s action and declared it null and void. The court also ordered that Ararume be immediately reinstated to his position as non-Executive Chairman of the NNPCL.

The court further held that all decisions made by the Board of Directors of the NNPCL in the absence of Ararume were null and void. The judge also awarded N5bn against Buhari and the NNPCL to be paid to Ararume as damages for the wrongful sack and disruption of his appointment.

Ararume had approached the court, seeking a declaration that his removal as NNPC Chief was illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional, and that it was a total breach of the CAMA law under which NNPCL was incorporated.

The judgment further held that Buhari acted ultra vires, wrongful, illegal, null, and void in the ways and manners Ararume was sacked after using his name to register NNPCL. The court emphasized that such a brazen act cannot stand in the face of the law.

The ruling is a significant legal blow to the Buhari administration, which has been criticized for its handling of the NNPCL. The NNPCL is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and is responsible for the exploration and production of oil and gas in Nigeria.

Ararume’s restoration to his former position as non-Executive Chairman of the NNPCL has been widely welcomed by Nigerians, who see it as a victory for the rule of law and an affirmation of the independence of the judiciary.

Ararume, in addition to his reinstatement, had demanded N100 billion as compensation for the damages he suffered nationally and internationally in the unlawful way and manner his removal was carried out by President Buhari. However, the court did not grant this request.