Breaking: Court reinstates Pondei-led NDDC Interim Management

The embattled Prof. Daniel Pondei led interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been reinstated by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Court denied sacking the management of IMC as earlier reported by the Media in a suit brought before it by the Incorporated Trustees of of Forum for Accountability and Good Governance.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on December 12, 2020 sacked the NDDC IMC to pave way for an interim sole administrator to take over the affairs of the interventionist agency on the strength of the purported court injunction against the Podei-led IMC.

However, the Court reiterated that the NDDC IMC was never dismissed, stressing that there was no order for interim injunction (against the IMC) granted by this court”.

The court also ordered in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/617/2020 that two journalists from Channels and Sun Newspaper respectively to undo the misleading news story, and tell the world the truth of its ruling.

According to the court papers, the court was clear that the leave sought by the plaintiffs did not amount to an injunction but a permission to sue which was allowed but now stands struck out by subsequent findings of the court in January, 2021.

It is not clear whether Prof Pondei-led IMC of NDDC will be reinstated by President Buhari since the president was earlier advised by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to sack the interim managers.

However, sources hinted that the Presidency might be working to act on the latest judgement of the court since it has been entered into the records.