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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has claimed that President Bola Tinubu disobeyed court orders by inaugurating board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
A Federal High Court had restrained the President from removing Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume as the Non-Executive Director of NNPCL.
But the NNPCL had contested the verdict at the Court of Appeal.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, at a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, said Tinubu should have waiting for the finality of the verdict.
“It is shocking that rather than obey the valid and extant judgment of the court, the President has taken the laws into his hands to overrule the courts and usurp the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal by taking steps to undermine the judgment through such illegal appointments,” he said.
Onwubiko charged Ararume to file a contempt application against the new board members, urging the court to take appropriate action to protect the sanctity of its proceedings.
He said regardless of status, individuals and institutions must be held accountable for flouting legal processes.
He also pointed out the violation of legal principles, particularly the doctrine of ‘sub judice,’ which prohibits discussions on the merits of a case before a court.
