Stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have asked the Senate President to advice President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the list of nominees for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), submitted to the National Assembly.
An interest group, Registered Trustee, Contractors Association of the NDDC, expressed concerns over the decision of Mr. President to present the list to the National Assembly, despite ongoing litigation to challenge the list.
It alleged that President Buhari and Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan went foul of the law by presenting the names, screening and clearing same despite subsisting admonition by the honourable court to maintain status quo till the issues are dealt with.
Kennedy C. Amos & Associates, which is representing the association, in a letter to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, recalled that the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, 22nd October at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, adding that Lawan was duly represented.
“We trust that the distinguished Senate President and the Senate shall do right in accordance with the rule of law and not engage in any untoward contemptuous act as far as the subject matter of this suit is concerned in the interest of justice,” the letter, a copy of which was made available to The Nation in Port Harcourt, added.
Our reporter gathered that the NDDC contractors association is kicking against the allocation of portfolios, which they said is against the rotational principle provided for in the Section 4 of the NDDC Act.
To ensure equity and fair play, the group wants a reversal of the portfolio of Chairman and Managing Director, which was handed to Chief Pius Odubu and Dr. Bernard Okumagba of Edo and Delta states respectively, as well as Executive Director Finance and Administration, and Executive Director Project, which is allotted to Mr. Maxwell Oko and Engr Otobong Ndem of Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom respectively.
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They are demanding that, in line with alphabetic order agreement, Delta is in line for Chairman, while it is the turn of Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Rivers to produce MD, EDFA and EDP respectively.
Our investigations revealed that the positions of MD, EDF and EDP are exclusively reserved for the core oil producing states namely Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Bayelsa states, while the position of Chairman is rotated among the nine states.
Insisting on that established order, the contractors association dragged the federal government to court. But while the matter is still going through the legal process, President Buhari forwarded the names to the Senate, which screened and cleared the nominees on Thursday.
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