The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, will on Monday (today) challenge his suspension by President Muhammadu Buhari in court.
This is just as the National Judicial Council’s 88th meeting in Abuja has been delayed following fears of a possible clash between supporters of Onnoghen and the acting CJN, Justice Tanko Mohammed.
A senior advocate, who is a member of Onnoghen’s legal team, told one of our correspondents that it had become necessary to do so as the suspension of a CJN by a President was unprecedented.
He said, “We will be going to court to challenge the suspension of the CJN. The President relied on a CCT order despite the fact that the Court of Appeal had restrained all parties from removing the chief justice.
“The CJN was not even served with the court processes before he was removed by the President. So, all these will be challenged in court. When the processes have been filed, the documents will be made public.”
When asked why the CJN waited for three days before challenging his removal, the source said, “He was suspended late on Friday and you know courts do not sit on Saturday and Sunday.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari has summoned members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate to a meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday (today) over Onnoghen’s suspension.
Onnoghen was suspended on Friday by President Buhari based on an ex parte order granted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
He is facing six counts of false assets declaration filed against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Buhari’s meeting with the APC governors will take place ahead of the Senate emergency resumption on Tuesday (tomorrow) when decisions are expected to be taken on Onnoghen’s suspension by the President.
The APC senators’ meeting with the President, it was gathered, would take a position to counter the expected condemnation of the CJN’s suspension by the members of the opposition in the Senate on Tuesday.
However, the meeting which is going to hold at the Banquet Hall, is being tagged as a dinner. Invitations to the meeting were signed by the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, who is also the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi.
A source close to the organisers of the meeting who spoke with one of our correspondents, said the national leadership of the APC would also attend the meeting.
He said apart from the senators and the APC leaders, some APC governors had also been invited to the meeting.
He said, “You know that the Senate leadership belongs to the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party. The party on its own has taken a position on this matter.
“Also, the President of the Senate, who is also the Director General of the PDP presidential candidate Council, Bukola Saraki, has taken a position on this matter.
“So, we need to talk to our members in the Senate and impress it on them not to allow Saraki to impose his personal opinion on them.”
However, the Nigerian Bar Association has summoned an emergency national executive council meeting over Onnoghen’s suspension.
This is as a group, the National Interest Defenders, has planned a protest rally to the NBA National Secretariat for Monday (today).
According to a notice of the rally, the group is made of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, public interest activists, opposition politicians, good governance activists and civil society organisations, different ethnic and religious leaders.
The NBA NEC meeting follows a statement earlier released on Friday night by the NBA condemning the swearing in of Justice Tanko Muhammad as the acting CJN.
The meeting was called to consider the strategy to press for a reversal of the action.
A senior member of the bar said, “We are going to have a serious deliberation with a view to engaging the Federal Government.”
Asked what strategy was in the offing, the member said, “That will be like putting the cart before the horse. We will consider all options allowed in law, the independence of the judiciary must be secured.”
The NBA President, Paul Usoro (SAN), confirmed the meeting to one of our correspondents.
He, however, refused to divulge the agenda of the meeting.
He said, “Yes, we are having our NEC meeting Monday. Why not wait till then for further briefing.”
