₦airaland Forum

seanfer:
Calm down...If Onoghen try that He will be charged with treason and no NJC will come out to defend Him... .. This issue calls for serious caution and Wisdom..

It's going to be original AJE KUN IYA!

Part of the problem with our public debate is lack of knowledge of the facts driving the debate and a lot of sentiments. So on this issue I will try to explain what the President meant by the former CJN and his legal team using their privileged position to undermine the judicial process.

When this matter first came up, the CJN did not appear in Court. Why? He could not be served personally because he rejected service! Now no other person in this country can try that and get away with it but the CJN did.

When in Court, his array of SANs filed a motion challenging jurisdiction of the CCT and insisted it must be heard. The CCT said it will hear it but the accused must first be arraigned before any question on jurisdiction and this is elementary law that the accused must first take a plea because that is how proceedings are commenced. The former CJN still did not show up and his legal team instead filed an Appeal. Will he say he was not aware of proceedings that was carried even by international media houses? Of course not but he was simply abusing his power by ignoring judicial proceedings! No other person can try that and get away with it.

While the appeal was pending, several Courts Ex-Parte granted injunctions restraining a competent constitutional tribunal from doing its work even though they had no appellate jurisdiction over the tribunal!!! Even the industrial Court granted a restraining Order!!! Industrial Court!!!! All sorts of Courts were issuing all manners of Court Orders to protect the CJN who until now had ignored a quasi-judicial proceeding.

In other words, the continuous stay of the former CJN in office was impacting and impairing the ability of the CCT to do its constitutional job. Then the government brought a Motion on Notice seeking that the CJN steps aside and the President replaces him with the next in line. Apparently, the same motion was brought Ex-parte and for ex-parte applications the other parties need not know. As we now know, that application was granted.

On Wednesday, we witnessed the unbelievable!!!! The legal team of the former CJN filed a Motion to Stay of proceedings at the Court of Appeal however, there was no Ruling from the Lower Tribunal in the Record of Appeal! Ask any lawyer who has done any work at the Court of Appeal, an Appeal cannot be entered without a copy of the ruling or judgment included in the Record of Appeal because it is at the heart of the case at the Court of Appeal! That is why you are there- to complain about the Ruling or Judgment! The only alternative is to apply under the Court of Appeal Rules to Depart from the Rules!

In this case no such application was made but somehow, the appeal was not only entered within hours with Appeal number given, the motion filed based on that appeal was slated for hearing! Counsel to former CJN admitted to this irregularity and addressed the Court for 2hrs urging that his Motion for Stay be granted. Again, ask any lawyer, no ordinary Nigerian can get this because this procedure and practice is unknown to law. The Court however, reserved its ruling for 30th of January but granted an Interim Stay till that date which in the circumstances was the right thing to do.

What is the point of all this? Evidently, the former CJN was using his position and office to push the entire judicial system beyond its limits in defense of himself. Whereas he alone was the first to admit that he forgot to remember that he had $700,000 in a domiciliary account. He alone could not explain why he had not touched his salary for 18 months! He alone was later discovered to have $3,000,000 elsewhere!!! And someone says ending such acts of abuse of office to shield questionable acts is a fight against the judiciary? Is the judiciary the harbinger of such? This is the same judiciary that produced erudite Jurists like Justice Niki Tobi, Justice Kayode Esho, Obaseki JSC and many many other eminent men!!! Can the conduct just chronicled stand beside the records of such greats? Please let no one ridicule the judiciary.

Finally, beyond our support for one political narrative or another, we must always ask ourselves what kind of Country do we want to build for ourselves and our children. PMB has done his part and even if he loses or wins in February, it does not change much because he has achieved almost all his heart desires. The man is 76!!! But we the young ones are still here with a country to live in! If we support such behavior then we are sowing the seed for an unfair, unjust and ultimately a pariah state!

In sum, the CCT gave an Order which to my mind is the proper Order to give in the circumstances. Let no man be allowed to throw the weight of his office around in defense of himself especially a lawyer and in this case a respectable Justice of the Supreme Court. The bench is a sacred chamber and a holy ground occupied by men, great in their courage, boundless in their knowledge and unsurpassed in their moral rectitude. No one has said Onnoghen JSC is not but in the light of the allegations against him and his admissions/responses let him prove it just the way an ordinary man will because we are all equal before the law.

Copied from Ghani Rotimi's wall.[color=#000099][/color]

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ON THE SUSPENSION OF HONOURABLE JUSTICE WALTER NKANU SAMUEL ONNOGHEN AS CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA AND SWEARING IN OF ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE, 25TH JANUARY 2019



Fellow Nigerians,

A short while ago, I was served with an Order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal issued on Wednesday 23rd January 2019, directing the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Walter Nkanu Samuel Onnoghen from office pending final determination of the cases against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and several other fora relating to his alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

2. The nation has been gripped by the tragic realities of no less a personality than the Chief Justice of Nigeria himself becoming the accused person in a corruption trial since details of the petition against him by a Civil Society Organization first became public about a fortnight ago.

3. Although the allegations in the petition are grievous enough in themselves, the security agencies have since then traced other suspicious transactions running into millions of dollars to the CJN’s personal accounts, all undeclared or improperly declared as required by law.

4. Perhaps more worrisome is the Chief Justice of Nigeria’s own written admission to the charges that he indeed failed to follow the spirit and letter of the law in declaring his assets, citing ’’mistake’’ and ’’forgetfulness’’ which are totally unknown to our laws as defences in the circumstances of his case.

5. One expected that with his moral authority so wounded, by these serious charges of corruption, more so by his own written admission, Mr. Justice Walter Onnoghen would have acted swiftly to spare our Judicial Arm further disrepute by removing himself from superintending over it while his trial lasted.

6. Unfortunately, he has not done so. Instead, the nation has been treated to the sordid spectacle of a judicial game of wits in which the Chief Justice of Nigeria and his legal team have made nonsense of the efforts of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to hear the allegation on merit and conclude the trial as quickly as possible considering the nature of the times in which we live.

7. Whether deliberately or inadvertently, we have all seen the full weight of the Chief Justice of Nigeria descend on the tender head of one of the organs of justice under his control. There is simply no way the officers of that court, from the Chairman to the bailiffs, can pretend to be unaffected by the influence of the leader of the Judiciary.



8. Not only the trial court, but others have been put on the spot. Practically every other day since his trial commenced, the nation has witnessed various courts granting orders and counter-orders in favour of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, all of them characterised by an unholy alacrity between the time of filing, hearing and delivery of judgment in same.

9. The real effect has been a stalling of the trial of Justice Onnoghen, helped along by lawyers who insist that these orders, whether right or wrong are technically valid, and must be obeyed till an appellate Court says otherwise. No doubt, that it is the proper interpretation, but is it the right disposition for our nation?

10. Nigeria is a constitutional democracy and no one must be, or be seen to be, above the law. Unfortunately, the drama around the trial of the Chief Justice of Nigeria has challenged that pillar of justice in the perception of the ordinary man on the street. For it is certain that no ordinary Nigerian can get the swift and special treatment Justice Onnoghen has enjoyed from his subordinates and privies in our Judicature.

11. In the midst of all these distracting events, the essential question of whether the accused CJN actually has a case to answer has been lost in the squabble over the form and nature of his trial. This should not be so.

12. If Justice cannot be done and clearly seen to be done, society itself is at risk of the most unimaginable chaos. As a Government, we cannot stand by wailing and wringing our hands helplessly but give our full backing and support to those brave elements within the Judiciary who act forthrightly, irrespective of who is involved.

13. As you are all aware, the fight against corruption is one of the tripod of policies promised to Nigerians by this administration. Needless to say that it is an existential Policy which must be given adequate attention and commitment by all the three arms of government. The efforts of the Executive will amount to nothing without the cooperation of the Legislature and especially the Judiciary.

14. It is no secret that this government is dissatisfied with the alarming rate in which the Supreme Court of Nigeria under the oversight of Justice Walter Onnoghen has serially set free, persons accused of the most dire acts of corruption, often on mere technicalities, and after quite a number of them have been convicted by the trial and appellate courts.

15. Since there is nothing the Executive Arm can do after the apex court of the land has spoken on any matter, several of these individuals walk free among us today, enjoying what are clearly the proceeds of the corruption which for so long has defeated the efforts of this nation to develop and prosper.

16. It is against this background that I have received the Order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal directing me to suspend the Chief Justice pending final determination of the cases against him. It also explains why I am not only complying immediately, but with some degree of relief for the battered sensibilities of ordinary Nigerians whose patience must have become severely over-taxed by these anomalies.

17. In line with this administration’s avowed respect for the Rule of Law, I have wholeheartedly obeyed the Order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal dated 23rd January 2019.

18. Accordingly, I hereby suspend the Honourable Mr. Justice Walter Nkanu Samuel Onnoghen, GCON as the Chief Justice of Nigeria pending final determination of the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

19. In further compliance with the same Order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, I hereby invite Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed JSC, being the next most Senior Justice in the Supreme Court, to come forward to take the Judicial Oath as Chief Justice of Nigeria in an Acting Capacity.

20. Fellow Nigerians, we can only stand a chance to win the fight against Corruption, and position our dear nation for accelerated development when we stand together to contend against it.



Thank you and may God bless our country.

ShowYourCertificate:
The CCT never said the President should suspend the CJN. It only said the CJN should step aside and the president should appoint someone else as a replacement to prevent a vacuum in the judiciary.

I guess Buhari has comprehension issues.

In your porous sense, how is the bolded possible without sack or suspension?
That's the best practice the world over

SEONaijaExpert:
...

All I can say is, let all those corrupt politicians that paid him in advance to grab him before he enters the prison..."

Savage!

The commenter below me is savager!

DeRuggedProf:
I am only disappointed in the REDEEMED PASTOR who should have since resigned.

I am leaving REDEEMED because of oSINbajo.

BYE!
I believe they didn't know you were there and now that you have left...

bedspread:
Mtcheeeewwwwww

There is no correlation....
Bring up intelligence arguments

See more futile imitations below;

frankmoney:
under what law pls ?

Don't embarrass the illiterate, he just open his mouth to follow what other are saying.
He can't even spell CONSTITUTION correctly!

Gandollar:
One million of your type can't undo what the Igbos have contributed to Nigeria. You that your fathers have been ruling Nigeria since independence, what has it added to your life? You are still the poorest, prone to all kinds of disease, educationally backward and religiously bigoted! Hiss

Wow, see Cifia Pain!
N do

Gandollar:
If I was a Togolese, I would think this PMB you speak is an intelligent leader. A slowpoke controlled by a faceless cabal that even his wife is lamenting is who you are celebrating??
The so called money you claim he is spending belongs to all Nigerians and not a few. I Know you are not smart enough to know this.

Even if he were to spend his personal money on the SE, he remains persona non grata in SE!

And if you don't like it, I import sniper.

You have eventually agreed with me that a deaf man doesn't appreciate good music.
That's why I love PDP , after the SIXTEEN year of south Easterners mumuic loyalty, they CAN'T point at anything other than 'we're number 3" and they are shouting most of federal marginalization of any other zone.

Give them some 3 powerful slots, they will worship you even in their graves!

Mystick:
Typical Zombie posture.

Na waa o, ugly group I must say.

ZOMBIE has gotten another meaning with writhing wailers. All the best in your lineage since inception till date are not up to BRF

Naijaalive:
VICE Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi yesterday in Benin, said that next month’s general election “is not between his party and the All Progressives Congress, APC, but the future of Nigeria.”

He said, “It is not about the stories they (APC) are telling Nigerians. They should show Nigerians their scorecard. They promised to reduce prices of fuel from N86 to N40, today it is N145. They also promised to pay N5,000 [/b]to our unemployed youths and take the value of the Naira from N185 to one Dollar. How many of these promises have been fulfilled today?

“Nigeria currently is stressed, collapsing by the day, never mind the lies from the APC. Insecurity is on the increase. Nigeria dropped from 7th to 3rd on the terrorism index, we are just behind Iraq .

“Nigeria now has the highest number of poor people in the world and according to World Bank, Nigeria will remain in that position this year.

“Nigeria now has 13.5 million “out of school children”, the highest number in the world.

[b]https://all-gists..com/2019/01/Dont-tell-us-story-show-your-achievements-to-Nigerians-Obi-challenges-APC.html

...and yet you're wailing and wagging teeth against TRADERMONI

Fuckuignos:
I "feel" ohaneze ndigbo is sabotaging PMB's reelection in the SE. Lemme quickly remind u how far PMB went to heal wounds, he paid ex Biafra soldiers not OBJ or GEJ, after how many YEARS? He completed Zik's mausoleum not his predecessors

PMB is wasting his energy and precious Nigeria resources by spending for the South east.
I can never spend a dime just because I want to show love .

A good number of places are calling for attention in middle belt, southwest and some parts of South South. Go to where you're celebrated.

Why? Because you don't convince the deaf with good music!

Yambee:
This is simple.

Your Pastor is not God,so ignore him.

There is power in our tongues,and you can pray for your own business,yourself and your family without getting these Pastors involved.

The Whites brought us Christianity. But have you seen one opening a business and bring any Pastor to pray for them?facebook?Apple?IBM?Hilton?which one brought a pastor there?

let us stop these religious mental slavery.

Since there is power in our your tongues, you can as well go there and bless the business when ashewos are added for proper rebranding.

I know you think there is a God you can use just like horns of animals ate used at will.

Jehovah God cannot be used!

frankman365:
Ask tinubu
He will tell who you are dealing with.

How?
Tell us

[quote author=khingTony post=75067904]Buhari just commissioned it, he wasn't the person who started/ completed the project[/quote]

This could be true because contract laws in Nigeria do not allow commissioning of FINISHED projects until after 24 months, right?
Ode!

OlaSage3:
Make #50,000 to #70,000 weekly without referring by just doing simple online mail processing.
Proofs available.
Ask me how

How?

OlaSage3:
Make #50,000 to #70,000 weekly without referring by just doing simple online mail processing.
Proofs available.
Ask me how

How

OlaSage3:
Make #50,000 to #70,000 weekly without referring by just doing simple online mail processing.
Proofs available.
Ask me how

How?

Anigreat:



The only known star boy is wizkid

Why are you so limited and left behind when even your 'star boy' - wizkid, acknowledges this fact?

Racoon:
The man that literally schooled VP Osinbajo & the APC on SMEs microeconomics.

Why are you bandying wrong figure that peter obi himself hurriedly deleted from his tweeter handle when he discovered that not even the whole Africa (Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt etc altogether) got that much.

Please stop your illiterate support and don't embarrass obi again

helinues:
CAN, MURIC, OPC, Afenifere, ACF are all political groups looking for a candidate to milk

Oh, what educated illiterate you are! You don't have to comment on every issue. Make sure you grab the point first before spewing ....

pyyxxaro:
What about Boyz Scout

..Did you understand what you responded to ?