NNPC Co-operative Society to appeal court judgment voiding its election
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Abuja, on Wednesday, said it would appeal the judgment of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court which invalidated the election of its officers.
Counsel to the leadership of the society, Ibrahim Idris, told journalists shortly after the sitting that the veracity of the judgment delivered by Justice Charles Agbaza would be tested at the Court of Appeal.
Idris said that the notice of appeal to challenge the court decision would be filed in the next 48 hours.
He said the decision to go on appeal was based on the grounds that the trial court ought not to have dabbled into the internal and domestic affairs of the cooperative society.
The lawyer insisted that the issue of the cooperative society election to select management officers was purely a domestic affairs of its members and that the court lacked requisite jurisdiction to have delved into the matter.
Justice Agbaza had, on Wednesday, nullified the election of the cooperative officers elected in June last year on the grounds that the constitution of the cooperative society was not followed.
A group of retired NNPC Staff led by Agada Michael Agbo and Egahson Shehu Salifu had dragged the cooperative officers before the FCT High Court, challenging the last year’s election that produced them.
The plaintiffs claimed that Section 20 of the Bye-Law of the cooperative society was violated by adopting an online voting system as against the balloting or electronic voting stipulated by the law.
They further challenged the election on the grounds that a registrar, who did not supervise the election performed the inauguration of the elected officials contrary to the provisions of the law.
In his judgment, Justice Agbaza agreed that Section 20 of the bye-law of the cooperative society was circumvented by adopting online system as against the balloting required by law.
The judge therefore nullified the election and ordered that an electoral committee must be put in place to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
The court however declined to grant the N100 million compensatory damages demanded by the plaintiffs while instituting the court action.
