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Aircraft lease probe: Alison-Madueke, NNPC’s application stalls hearing

By BusinessNews Staff on July 5, 2014

A fresh application filed by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, her ministry and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday stalled hearing in the suit they jointly filed to stop the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts from going ahead with a probe that the minister spent N10 billion in hiring aircraft.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on June 19 adjourned to yesterday for hearing of the substantive suit after ordering parties in the suit to maintain the status quo.

The business of the court yesterday was however stalled owing to an application by the plaintiffs seeking to amend their originating summons.

They sought to add two additional prayers, to include a declaration that the National Assembly and House of Representatives (defendants in the suit) cannot investigate petitions against them and that they cannot on-sight investigation into the plaintiff’s activities.

Although the National Assembly, represented by Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), did not object to the amendment sought by the plaintiffs, the House, represented by Abubakar Mahmud (SAN), opposed the application to amend the originating process.

Plaintiffs’ lawyer, Etigwe Uwa (SAN), was not comfortable with the House objection to his plan to amend. He argued that the objection was against parties’ earlier agreement to proceed with the substantive suit.

He, however sought time to enable him respond to the objection filed by the House of Reps against his application to amend.

Mahmud, argued that, as against Uwa’s position, it was the plaintiffs who had acted against parties’ agreement to proceed with the substantive suit by coming with an amendment midway into the case.

He contended that the amendment sought by the plaintiffs was an attempt to broaden the scope of the suit beyond what existed before.

He argued that the amendment was unnecessary. In his ruling, Justice Mohammed held that there was nothing unusual in the objection raised by the House against the fresh application to amend.

He said since the plaintiffs had chosen to amend their originating process, the House was entitled to either object or support such decision. He adjourned to July 9 for hearing of the plaintiffs’ application to amend the originating summons.

The judge, who on June 19 ordered parties to maintain the status quo pending the next hearing date of July 3, was however silent on the status of the order yesterday.
None of the lawyers in the case also spoke about the order.

[This Day]

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