New facts have emerged regarding the reason billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote withdrew his petition against the former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.
Sources who spoke to Leadership disclosed that Dangote withdrew the petition due to concerns that the presence of Ahmed’s spouse as a key staff member of the Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) could impact the investigation.
According to the source, fear of possible interference may have been the reason for the withdrawal.
“What we understand is that after the petition was filed, it came to light that Ahmed’s spouse holds a key position in ICPC. Although no one is sure how that might play out, there are concerns of interference,” a source said.
The Principal Partner of an Abuja-based law firm, O’J Law Consult, Lilian Ojimma, told the aforementioned publication that a petitioner is free to withdraw his petition from a prosecuting agency and go to another agency, if he so wishes.
“The only thing,” she said, “is that the petitioner cannot file the same petition in two agencies at the same time and pursue them simultaneously.”
However, the ICPC has assured that no one can interfere in the ongoing investigation into Dangote’s petition.
ICPC spokesperson, John Odey, said, “I am not aware of any person working in the ICPC who is married to Farouk. Even if it is true, I can assure you that nobody will interfere in the ongoing investigation. Dangote’s withdrawal of the petition does not mean that the ICPC has stopped the investigation. Investigation continues.”