Anxiety As NJC Reconvenes To Give Verdict On Onnoghen, Mohammed Today

NJC Reconvenes Today Over Onnoghen, Mohammed Cases

The National Judicial Council (NJC) will reconvene today to consider the responses of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammed to the queries issued to them by the council.

It will be recalled that weeks ago Naija News reported that the council at its emergency meeting gave both top jurists seven days to respond to petitions written against them.

A statement by the council’s Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, said the decision to query the two senior jurists were taken during the emergency meeting held at the council’s chambers in Abuja.

None of the lawyers, who had so far represented Onnoghen, would volunteer information regarding his response to the query.

However, some council members were said to favour a decision that would lead to easing out the embattled CJN.

Can of Worms:
EFCC traces lawyer’s $30,000 payment to Onnoghen’s account. It was paid in by Joe Agi, SAN in 2009. Also, another Account of Onneghen has been discovered in Heritage Bank.
Joe Agi is one of the lawyers defending Onneghen currently!

Others will soon be named!

— Uncle Luther (@Victorlutherr) February 8, 2019

Others are quick to argue that Justice Mohammed too should go having accepted to be sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari in the absence of council’s recommendation to the president.

A judge of Abia State High Court was punished in similar circumstances when for no fault of his, the Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, appointed him acting chief judge of the state after the governor had illegally suspended the then chief judge.

At its January’s council meeting, NJC elected Justice Umaru Abdullahi, a former President of the Court of Appeal as Interim Chairman to preside over the meeting. He will preside at the council meeting today.

The council’s statement issued in January read: “The National Judicial Council held an Emergency Meeting today and considered four petitions filed at its Secretariat. The petitions are: Petition against Justice W.S.N. Onnoghen, by Zikhrillahi Ibrahim of Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civil Education; Petition against Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad by Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative; Petition against Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, by Olisa Agbakoba, SAN; and Petition against Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar, Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal by Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative.

“Council referred the petition against Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), which is the appropriate constitutional body empowered to deal with it.

“In line with its procedure, Council also forwarded the petitions against Justices W.S.N. Onnoghen, and I. T. Muhammad, to them for their responses.

Amen, listen to my own Mazi, may God forget u as ex CJN onnoghen forgot to declare over US $3m in his domiciliary accounts. May He Almighty enrich u with love from PDP, NBA, ATIKU, AFENIFERE, OHANEZE, PANDEF and co. afterward. Waiting for ur "amen" pic.twitter.com/TRAVSVU27s

— City (@Inwabaranaba) February 5, 2019

Meanwhile, as earlier published, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has again raised the alarm on an alleged plot by the federal government to use security agents to lock down the National Judicial Council (NJC) Headquarters and intimidate members at their resumed sitting today.