The move to challenge the appointment of Honourable Ifedayo Abegunde (Abena) as Executive Director, Corporate Services, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by President Bola Ahmed has hit the rock.
An Akure High Court, in its pronouncement on Wednesday 30th April, 2025, declared the attempt to challenge his appointment by the president as statute-barred, thereby throwing out the case filed by a lawyer, Myson Nejo Esq, challenging the said appointment.
Nejo challenged the status of the beneficiary of the appointment, Abena, a former Secretary to the Ondo State Government, insisting that his coming from Akure, a place outside the coverage of the NDDC renders him ineligible to take the appointment.
In a terse Facebook post at the determination of the matter yesterday, the lawyer said:
“Judgement was delivered in the case I filed against Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde( Abena) today. The matter was dismissed on the ground that the matter was statute barred due to the operation of the Public Officers Protection Act.”
“The court did not go to the merits of the case but just decided to hide under law cited above.”
He however threatens to appeal the judgement as it was arrived at in error. He said:
“It is important to put the record straight that the court committed a serious error because Mr President appointed Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde on 29th August 2023 and I filed my case on 5th September 2023. I’m heading to the Court of Appeal to challenge this injustice done to the great people of Ilaje Local Government. How can a matter filed in just 3 weeks after illegal appointment was made be statute barred?
