Following protests and petitions from stakeholders, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly left the options of rejection or confirmation of nominees into the Governing Boardof NigerDelta Development Commission (NDDC) to the Senate and the court, rather than withdrawing his letter earlier sent to the upper chamber of the National Assembly. This emerged as Buhari is said to have been briefed that some of the nominations into the NDDC board were made in breach of the agency’s Act 2020 and also not in tandem with the amended version of 2022.

Already, there appears to be palpable tension in some states over alleged breach of the NDDC Act with respect to the nominations forwarded to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan by President Buhari last week. Notwithstanding, those nominated have reportedly appeared before a special panel of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Yellow House headquarters of the outfit for the usual security scrutiny that will precede their appearance before the Senate Committee on Niger Delta next week. A top source at the Police Headquarters disclosed that the nominees were also at the Louis Edet House to ‘interact’ with the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The President had on Wednesday, urged the Senate to confirm the nomination of his Special Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, for appointment as the substantive Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The President also nominated others as members of the Board including Chief Samuel Ogbuku as Managing Director.

The NDDC board nominees, according to the letter, are Lauretta Ifeanyi Onochie (Delta, South-South) as Chairman; Dimgba Erugba State representative (Abia, South- East); Dr Ene Wilcox (Akwa Ibom, State Representative, South-South); Dr Pius Odudu (Edo, South-South); Hon. Gbenga Edema (Ondo, South- West) and Engr. Anthony Ekene (Imo, South-East). Also on the list are Mr. Onyekachi Dimgba (Rivers, South-South); Alhaji Mohammed Kabiru Abubakar (Zonal Representative, Nasarawa); Professor Tallen Mamma, SAN (North-East Representative, Adamawa); Sodique Sani (North-West, Zonal Representative); General Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd) (Executive Director of Finance) and Charles Ogunmola (Executive Director Project, South-West).

But shortly after the names were made public, protests and petitions flooded the Presidency as well as the Office of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan. Already, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana has written a letter to the senate president highlighting legal infractions committed by President Buhari. Falana wrote on behalf of Ilaje/Ese- Odo Progressive Union in Ondo State. The three senators representing Ondo State: Robert Ajayi Boroffice (north), Pius Akinyelure (central) and Nicholas Tofowomo (south) are said to have kicked against Ogunmola’s nomination, in particular. Specifically, oil-producing ethnic nationalities such as Itsekiri and Ilaje in Delta and Ondo states respectively have turned in a deluge of protestations and petitions against some persons recently nominated as members of the NDDC Board. Similarly, an Ugbo Ilaje elite group, Ugboland Development Congress (UDC) also from Ondo state kicked against Ogunmola’s nomination. In a protest letter addressed to both the senate president and President Buhari and signed by a former Clerk of the National Assembly who doubles as the BoT chairman, Asiwaju Oluyemi Ogunyomi, UDC rejected the two nominations from Ondo state. (New Telegraph)

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