The Federal High Court has okayed two separate suits seeking to sack the newly appointed chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede.
Both suits were brought before the court by legal practitioners, Stanley Okawara and Maxwell Opara.
Justice Abdullahi Liman of the Kano court has fixed October 30 to hear a motion on notice seeking to restrain the EFCC chairman, whose appointment was confirmed by the Senate on October 12, from exercising the powers and functions of the office or drawing salaries and emoluments as an occupant of the office, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
Specifically, the plaintiff is, among other things, praying the court to determine “whether having regard to the combined provisions of Section 1(1), 1 (2), and (3), 4 and 15(5) of the Amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 2 (1) (a) of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004, the 1st defendant (Tinubu) is possessed of the constitutional powers to appoint anyone who is not a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent to the position of the Chairman of the 3rd Defendant.
Upon determination of the legal questions, the plaintiff wants an order of the court “restraining anyone (appointed by the 1st Defendant) who is not a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent (with 15 years cognate experience) from assuming duties or performing the functions or exercising the powers of the chairman of the 3rd Defendant.
