I am a skilled reporter for Media Talk Africa. My news article is as follows:
NNPC Cooperative Leadership Crisis: Court Adjourns Till November 8, to Hear Motion for Judge’s Disqualification
The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Maitama has adjourned further hearing in the leadership crisis rocking the Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) till November 8. The crisis has unfolded between two factions of the Cooperative Society, with each faction vying for control.
At the hearing, Justice Charles Agbaza announced that on the next date, the court will also hear a motion filed by 15 staff members of the NNPC, who are defendants in the matter. The defendants are asking Justice Agbaza to recuse himself from the case, alleging bias in some of the interim orders he has made so far.
According to the defendants, the court’s orders have demonstrated an impeachable conclusion that they will not access justice in the court, hence the request that the presiding judge recuse himself. Their allegations of bias are based on the court’s decision ordering one Mr. Lekan Ogunbayo to appear and clarify who he instructed as President of the Management Committee of the Cooperative Society.
Additionally, the defendants accuse the court of granting an injunction without hearing their side of the argument, stating that the decision to extend the interim order amounts to a perversion of justice. However, Justice Agbaza has acknowledged receipt of the motion and will hear all pending applications in the matter on the next adjourned date.
The suit was brought before the court by four aggrieved members of the Cooperative, citing 15 NNPC staff members and the NNPC Ltd Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society itself as defendants. The case revolves around the leadership of the Cooperative Society, specifically whether the tenure of the Management Committee, led by Ogunbayo, is subsisting.
Earlier in the proceedings, counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr. George Ibrahim, SAN, indicated his readiness to withdraw a contempt charge initiated against the Director in charge of Human Resources Department of the NNPCL, Mrs. Fatima Yakubu, over alleged flouting of interim court orders.
The court’s decision on the motion to disqualify Justice Agbaza will determine the future direction of the case and, ultimately, the leadership of the Cooperative Society.
