Court hears suits challenging EFCC chair’s eligibility

The Federal High Court has okayed two separate suits seeking the removal of the newly-appointed Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Olanipekun Olukoyede.

Both suits were brought before the court by legal practitioners, Mr Stanley Okawara and Mr Maxwell Opara.

The suits, marked FHC/KN/CS/280/202 and FHC/ABJ/CS/1410/2023, were filed before the Kano and Abuja divisions of the court, respectively.

The plaintiffs want 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.”

They are also seeking an order “setting aside and nullifying the appointment of the 4th Defendant as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on the 12th day of October 2023.”