Gwarzo: SEC workers have no right to stop court ordered return—Lawyer
Contrary to Monday morning’s closure of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Abuja secretariat’s main gate to stop possible resumption of the suspended Director General, Mounir Gwarzo, Abuja lawyer and human right activist, Nura Audu, has described the act as abuse of a court ruling that has not been appealed.
Recall that both a federal High Court in Abuja and even the Federal Industrial Court have both ruled for the reinstatement of Gwarzo, saying his ouster was an abuse of administrative process that has no place in law.
Business Hilights Abuja Bureau chief reports that early Monday morning, normalcy was breached thus leading to a brief paralysis of official activities at the headquarters of as workers shut the premises of the commission.
The workers under the umbrella body of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), SEC Branch, locked up offices of the commission to stop the reinstated SEC DG, Gwarzo from resuming duties.
Barr Audu argued that “If the workers have any case against him, they should approach the appellate court to seek redress and not to block the way of a Nigerian going his lawful business.
“The court is very close to the workers’ union. They should take their anger to the court with their evidences and argue their case out and not cause further abuse of the rights of the currently substantive DG of SEC as far as the yet to be appealed judgment of the court of law.
Recall that Gwarzo had been indicted for abuse of office and corruption by an Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the veiled directive of the resigned Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.
He was also indicted by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee which investigated his suspension by the former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, before both a federal High Court quashed the charges and the National Industrial Court in a judgement on last week ordered his reinstatement with immediate effect.
Additional rulings of the court included the payment of all his salaries and allowances.
Gwarzo’s hope was renewed when in his ruling, Justice Sanusi Kado held that the Finance Minister, who is the second defendant in the suit, lacked the power to suspend Gwarzo, even as he dismissed three issues raised by defence counsel through their preliminary objection, ruling that the suit was not statute barred.
Audu averred that so far no appeal has been filed on the matter, “there is nothing under the law that can stop Gwarzo from returning to office to take over from the Acting DG, Ms Mary Uduk”.
