The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Monday, challenged the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja, to try him over his alleged failure to declare his assets.

The CJN, who stalled his planned arraignment following his refusal to appear before the Justice Danladi Umar’s led three-member panel tribunal, was however represented by a consortium of 89 lawyers that comprised of 46 Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

The legal team, which was led by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, and a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, told the tribunal that their appearance at the proceeding was “in protest.”

Olanipekun told the tribunal that the CJN has already filed a motion dated January 14, to challenge the jurisdiction of the tribunal to hear the charges FG levelled against him.

“My lord, we are not just challenging jurisdiction, we are even challenging the jurisdiction of this tribunal to even sniff that charge. We have served the Complainant/Respondent”, Olanipekun submitted.

Though the said motion was not moved, nevertheless, a member of the team who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity, said the CJN would capitalise on FG’s failure to channel the petition against him, as well as the outcome of the investigation that was purportedly conducted on his assets declaration forms by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, to the National Judicial Council, NJC, before it rushed the case to the CCT.

The CJN is contending that FG’s failure to abide by existing judicial precedent as encapsulated in a recent Appeal Court’s decision in Nganjiwa v Federal Republic of Nigeria (2017) LPELR-43391(CA), to the effect that any misconduct attached to the office and functions of a judicial officer, must first be reported to and handled by the NJC, pursuant to the provisions of the laws.

He argued that only after the NJC has pronounced against such judicial officer could prosecuting agencies of the Federal Government proceed to initiate a criminal proceeding.

Consequently, placing reliance on a recent decision of the CCT on a similar charge FG lodged against another Justice of the Supreme Court, Sylvester Ngwuta, the CJN’s legal team, maintained that FG’s decision to sideline the NJC, stripped the tribunal of its jurisdiction to entertain the instant case.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/onnoghen-to-fg-youve-no-powers-to-try-me-at-cct/amp/

Let wait and see

Tundemuttee:
Let wait and see

chai zombie are so pained!!! my belle de sweet me

u are not bigger than d law.u must face d music .u have being judging peoples case and u don want people to judge .I stand with buhari hundred percent on this one

How fast they can be in trying CJN in the court buh forgetting people like babachir, akpabio, oshiomole, rotimi, the list is endless. Buh one thing is for sure that this case will be like saraki's case which is dead on arrival

OK

Stupid government and their media trial. They can never go through process before rushing to the press. This case is dead on arrival.

We say no to intimidation of the judiciary by Buhari and his cabals

My SUBJECTIVE take on the ongoing trial of CJN Walter Onoghen is captured by the following assumptions, scenarios, conspiracy theory, deductions and implication.

1. Some highly placed politicians in Nigeria are experts in using blackmail to have their ways. Recently, the former Finance minister Mrs. Kemi Adeosun' NYSC certificate "mistake" was used as a blackmail tool by key NASS members into making her to agree to anything they put on the table.

2. By their nature people like Atiku, Saraki & co "buy" relevant and strategic decision makers as 'franchises' and manipulate them to do their biddings in subtle ways. At the height of his problem with Obasanjo, former VP Atiku boasted that he had control of Governors' Forum, NASS leadership, and the judiciary and could easily remove former president Obasanjo if he so desired. To which Obasanjo quipped that unfortunately for Atiku, he had no control over God.

3. So this "mistake" by CJN Onnoghen constitutes a potential weapon of blackmail and manipulation to control the CJN in post elections matters. I am suspecting that this "mistake" might have been used by Senator Saraki to stunningly wriggle out of his false asset declaration case.

4. As stage is set for 2019 elections, APC strategists may have been scared that Atiku, Saraki, Wike & co may use this 'mistake' to blackmail and manipulate the CJN into doing their biddings. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the immediate Justice following CJN by seniority cannot be engineered by PDP heavyweights to raise a damning petition against the CJN thereby forcing the president to appoint their man as CJN.

5. So the FGN decided to nip it in the bud before election by hurriedly arranging this trial.
Bypassing NJC when they know the position of law appeared deliberate. Of course, referring the matter to NJC will require CJN to recuse himself, which will be counter-productive.

6. In spite of all the drama, I suspect that this strategic move is all a well-scripted ploy that will legally remove both legal and moral burdens from CJN and give him freedom to do his job. In other words, CJN Onoghen may come out of this case looking "smelling roses".

On The Flip Side
However if this trial is not a script, it will surely have a far reaching consequences as it will instill feverish apprehension in Nigerian politicians who all have skeletons in their cupboards. The issue is, "if a whole CJN cannot be spared before elections, what will happen to mere politicians after elections and swearing in". Consequently, to save their heads, these politicians will secretly but strongly collaborate across party lines to stop president Buhari from getting 2nd term.

**********
As I said in the beginning, it is a purely subjective view, which eventually may turn out as the opposite of the eventual outcomes. But hey! I love brainstorming.

Abfinest007:
u are not bigger than d law

Read and understand first.


.....He argued that only after the NJC has pronounced against such judicial officer could prosecuting agencies of the Federal Government proceed to initiate a criminal proceeding.

ghen ghen...

Buhari has shot himself in the foot before the first shot in the duel has gone off.


What is the rationale in waiting till less than two months to a general election before going after the head of the judiciary?

Even Mobutu Sese Seko and Idi Amin would not have dared...

Abfinest007:
u are not bigger than d law

he is speaking from the position of the law

The federal government will probably lose this lawsuit not because they are wrong but because oftechnicalities of the law. This is how the Nass could not summon the IGP because of a constitutional technicality. It's high time the laws of this country are updated.

Feel free to check my signature to compare and book the cheapest possible flights and hotels worldwide. It's TOTALLY FREE.

Buhari is a cankerworm in the fabrics of democracy

Teach the bigot bastard illiterate coward Jubril

He will definitely lick his wound

Nepotistic idiotu

Buhari & His cabal wan comot this man by all means

Meanwhile GanDollar is waxing strong oh!
www.nairaland.com/attachments/8255464_82204418153703picsart1542382678259jpega856be1b9893e2d32fbe1182994551dajpegjpeg98c8c0dc21b1ce08bc55f981b22a3c66_jpeg_jpeg1454b55c3af1670fc4fcf0b7fb8d0445

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKkAasLv1ZM

APC na satanic party

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asItI3vLBaY
MOD no comot this one.

Ghen Ghen ...tell them and their zombies. They think Nigeria is a banana republic.

No comment

Even a year 1 law student cannot commit the legal blunder made by the FG.

Maybe their advisers do not have waec certificates.

Once an Apc member is found to be corrupt, the FG becomes mute, but now they have rushed with the speed of light to try the chief judge, if you want to try the chief judge then let due process be the order of the day. Hypocrite government with hypocrite supporters

APC the desperado's

Brainless FG headed by a brainless cow

But you know that Buhari is lawless

The rubbish FG did with that Afonja man called Justice Ayo Salami, they think they can try it with this man

I wonder how you zombies think

Abfinest007:
u are not bigger than d law.u must face d music .u have being judging peoples case and u don want people to judge .I stand with buhari hundred percent on this one

t

Oh well...

all these media trial never ends well. they did worst to Mr saraki.
in humans world it is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt but in this animal kingdom where some of the citizens are lions, hyena and baboon it is guilty as accused until proven innocent beyond reasonable doubt

now that's the spirit, for gosh sake you're the head of an independent arm of government.


And since when did nigeria judiciary became so efficient to try and persecute case of such magnitude in a very short time. when we still have loads of pending case of corrupt politicians.

Buhari is ready to try anybody for 2 nd term. Better to go try his cows in daura