Seplat Energy appoints acting CEO as court bars Brown from management duties

Seplat Energy said its chief operating officer, Samson Ezugworie, has been asked to take over as CEO of the oil & gas company.

The decision followed an interim order by a judge, CJ Aneke, of the Federal High Court, Lagos, restraining Roger Brown, the CEO of the company, from joining the company.

The company said in a regulatory filing that Mr. Brown has stepped down from executive duties and delegated authority to the COO.

The acting chief executive will lead the company in seven court days requiring the former to stay away from management activities.

Seplat asserted that the interim order was based on claims of unfair, offensive and prejudicial conduct by the chairman, CEO and all independent non-executive directors of the company.

“The allegations include the CEO conducting site visits for several key shareholders in the Company’s operations, canceling several catering and landscaping contracts, and introducing new project performance ratings,” Seplat Energy said in the document.

The court on Wednesday banned Mr. Brown from running and managing the company on a day-to-day basis, granting the request of five petitioners who are stakeholders in the company. The petitioners are Moses Igbrude, Sarat Kudaisi, Kenneth Nnabike, Ajani Abidoye and Robert Ibekwe.

Among the allegations against the CEO are racism, favoritism of expatriate workers and discrimination against Nigerian employees.

Also read: Court bans Seplat Energy CEO from management activities

Seplat Energy, in a statement issued on Friday on the authority of its chairman, Basil Omiyi, refuted the allegations, noting that Nigerians have been given the best role in the company since Mr. Brown assumed the position of CEO in 2020.

Some of those roles include chairman, chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior independent non-executive director, the company said.