The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the compulsory retirement of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen, based on “incontrovertible” findings on him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC).
It asked President Muhammadu Buhari to give effect to the recommendation immediately.
But the NJC urged the President to allow Justice Onnoghen retain his seat as a former CJN in the Council of State.
The council also said the CJN should be retired with full benefits.
According to a source, who pleaded not to be named “because of the sensitivity of the matter”, the compulsory retirement of Justice Onnoghen was the major highlight of NJC’s meeting yesterday.
All NJC members were said to have decided not to comment on the meeting because “it would not be right to do so when a letter has been sent to the President on their decision.” He should get the letter before any comment, the source said.
The source said: “The NJC has been able to navigate the most challenging moment for the nation’s judiciary by recommending compulsory retirement of Onnoghen with full benefits.
“The NJC specifically demanded that the CJN be allowed to take his eminent position in the Council of State like his predecessors.
“If these recommendations are accepted, the Executive may be on the same page with the Judiciary by staying action on the ongoing trial and other pending trials of the CJN.”
The NJC may have adopted a “win-win approach” to ensure that the Executive and the Judiciary are on the same page.”
Another source familiar with how the NJC arrived at its decision said the “EFCC’s report on Justice Onnoghen was damning and incontrovertible”.
The anti-graft agency accused the CJN of “being in possession of funds which are fairly not attributable to his known, provable and legitimate source of income”.
The opening of a dollar account in Standard Chartered Bank for the CJN by a lawyer, Joe Agi, with $30,000 was said to be unhealthy.
The EFCC had accused Justice Onnoghen of being unable to account for curious deposits in his accounts.
The anti-graft commission alleged that deposits had accumulated to $1,716, 000.
The amounts in the said account were deposited as follows: $74,200 (2009); $291,800 (2010); $340,000 (2011); $625,000 (2012); $298,000 (2013); $40,000 (2015) and $47,000 (2016). The total was $1,716,000.
The agency also accused Justice Onnoghen of depositing $1,716,000 in a United States dollar account operated with the Standard Chartered Bank in 2009, marked as exhibit P4 C, between 2009 and 2016.
The petition said: “From the evidence on record, it is clear that the Respondent failed to declare all the accounts and funds in exhibit P4-P4D when he declared his 2014 asset in November 2016. Your lordship will observe that the Respondent only declared his salary account with the Union Bank exhibit P3 and failed to declare P4-P4D, which are the accounts that warehoused funds that are far above the Respondent’s known and provable lawful income.
“My lords, by the provisions of Rule 1.2 of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, it is clear that because members of the public expect a high standard of conduct from a judge, the Respondent is under the obligation to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all his activities both in his professional and private life. It is our submission my lords, that any conduct of the Respondent that give rise to the appearance of impropriety is a judicial misconduct and same is punishable under the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.
“It is our humble submission that the petitioner proved before this Honourable Panel that the Respondent was in possession of funds which are fairly not attributable to his known, proveable and legitimate source of income. The evidence shows that my lord earned a monthly salary in the sum of N750,819.87, which is about N9,000,000.00 per annum. My lords, as shown in exhibit P10A page 14 paragraph XXVI, the Respondent only earned the sum of N91,962,362.49 as salary between September 2005 and October 2016. It is also on record that the exhibit P3 is the salary account of my lord wherein his salaries are paid.
“My lords, the evidence before this Honourable Committee shows clearly that the Respondent opened United State Dollars account with the Standard Chartered Bank in 2009, exhibit P4 C. This USD account was opened by Mr. Joe Agi SAN and the first cash depositor of United States of America dollars into the said account. We humbly refer my lords to the entry of the 29th day of June,2009.
“Though the Respondent claimed that he was the one who gave the learned SAN, Joe Agi the $30,000.00 to deposit to exhibit P4C, the Respondent could not give any reasonable explanation as to the source of this money. My lords, the Respondent admitted under cross-examination that the USD was not his salary and that he only received dollars as estacodes which is meant for his official trips.
“My lords, upon the opening of the USD account exhibit P4C, a lot of cash deposits in Dollars were made to this account. The evidence before my lords is that between 2009 and 2016 a lot of cash deposits were made into exhibit P4C.
“My lords, from the evidence before this Honourable Panel, it is clear that these huge sums of money were not earned by the Respondent as his salaries and allowances. It is our humble submission that the burden of proving the legitimate source or origin of the sum of $1,716,000.00 lies heavily on the Respondent.”
The amounts in the said account were deposited as follows: $74,200 (2009); $291,800 (2010); $340,000 (2011); $625,000 (2012); $298,000 (2013); $40,000 (2015) and $47,000 (2016). The total was $1,716,000.
Superman7: Wow!! Don't mind most of these useless and fake results they are posting here. Check out Daily post and premium times results, you will see that PDP is sweeping Nigeria.
Are you still clicking like and share on nairaland. This is a sample opinion of some people in Kano State on who they will vote for in the 2019 presidential election.
As for you on Nairaland, continue clicking on like and share.
akinhanger: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is holding its 84th National Executive Council(NEC) meeting in Abuja.
In attendance are the Presidential Candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, National Chairman Uche Secondus, and other party leaders.
The meeting comes a day after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus met in Abuja, where the party condemned the postponement of the general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and accused the electoral umpire of colluding with the opposition PDP.
Hours to the commencement of the elections on Saturday, February 16, INEC postponed the Presidential and National Assembly polls to February 23 and the Governorship and Houses of Assembly Elections to March 9, 2019.
The PDP had expressed outrage over the postponement of the elections and accused the ruling APC of an attempt to rig the polls by allegedly asking INEC to stagger the polls. But INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had ruled out any form of political influence in reaching the decision, saying it was based on the logistical challenges that cropped up in the run-up to the polls.
Stupidity is when you go to court and ask the judge to give an order restraining goat and chicken from using the road.
agwom: The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has asked an FCT High Court for an order stopping President Muhammadu Buhari and security agencies from alleged interferance with the general elections.
Atiku sought the order in a statement of defence he filed against a defamation suit instituted against him by the Buhari Campaign Organization (BCO).
In his counter-claim against the suit, Atiku sought an order of court ”mandating President Buhari and his agents including security operatives and officers to abide by the rule of law and the principle of separation of powers entrenched in the constitution and should not intervene in the forthcoming elections.”
Atiku, through his counsel, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN), challenged the competence of the suit and urged the court to grant an order mandating President Buhari to apologise to him for filing a frivolous suit against him.
Atiku who asked for N2 billon as damages, said part of the money should be given to IDP camps across the country and the rest be used in equipping libraries and information technology centres for all state Universities in Nigeria.
In a 56-paragraph witness statement on oath deposed by one Abraham Udoh, the former vice president told the court that Buhari had failed Nigerians by his inability as a president to stop the ruthless and wanton killings that rendered citizens, farmers, women and children homeless without food or basic amenities.
You may be here on Nairaland clicking like and share but the people that will vote know what they want.
This is a Kwara state PDP house of reps candidate driving through a road that has been abandoned. He was going for campaign. I don't know the lies he was planning to tell the people but the people were smart to stop him from entering their community.
Uche Secondus, you and your family will be consumed by war. PDP evil party.
MrAJQ: BREAKING: There'll Be War If They Rig This Election, Says Uche Secondus
“Today, by your mandate, we warn INEC and we believe there are good people in INEC… we know that government is pressuring INEC to rig this election, but if they rig this election, they’re looking for war,” he said. In pidgin, he asked the people if this was true, to which they replied in the affirmative.
Uche Secondus, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says there will be war in the country if the 2019 presidential election is rigged.
Speaking in Asaba, capital of Delta State, on Thursday at the party’s presidential campaign rally Secondus accused the Nigerian government of putting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under pressure to rig the election.
“Today, by your mandate, we warn INEC and we believe there are good people in INEC… we know that government is pressuring INEC to rig this election, but if they rig this election, they’re looking for war,” he said.
In pidgin, he asked the people if this was true, to which they replied in the affirmative.
Continuing, he said: “If they need peace, they must not rig the election — because everybody is ready for this election.
“We want to also advise our security agencies — and we know there are good people there protecting lives and properties, which is their primary duty. We believe that they will obey the Constitution, not to break it like Mr. President is breaking our laws. They will obey the Constitution and be neutral, but if they don’t, if they join hands with INEC to rig this election, what are they looking for?"
“War,” the people chanted back.
Secondus then added: “Therefore, we advise all Nigerians, on that day on the 16th of February, let them come all out to vote and stand by their ballot boxes, and defend their votes — because the votes of all Nigerians must count. So that we can vote out a man who cannot interact, so that we can vote out a man that has brought disgrace to our nation.
hisexcellency34: APC issuing query to INEC...an independent body. There is no magic Oshiomhole can do. Postpone the election hundred times, APC will lose
We stand with Buhari in Kwara state. As for Saraki and Atiku, we have fixed the burial date of PDP.
ejimatic: Atiku would lose marginally, not because voters are overdosed on Buhari love, but because when trust is at stake – man-to-man – Buhari is the lesser of two evils. This is the inconvenient truth.
You will definitely loose the election. PDP the evil party.
akinblog: Polls Postponement: The PDP after due consideration of the provision of the Electoral Act, is set to reopen its open campaigns consequent upon the postponement of Presidential and Senate elections by INEC from the earlier scheduled date of Feb. 23, 2019.
The PDP rejects the wrongful administrative prohibition of open campaigns by INEC, holding that such administrative pronouncement was erroneous, directly in conflict with the provision of the Electoral Act and is not backed by any other law in our country.
Our position is predicated on the clear provision of section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act which stipulated that “for the purposes of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day”
The clear import of this provision, in the current situation, is that given the postponement of the election to February 23, 2019, the 24 hours requirement for closure of all public campaigning falls at midnight of February 21, 2019.
The PDP reminds INEC that whenever its administrative pronouncement conflicts with the Electoral Act, such administrative pronouncement must bow before the law. The party charges INEC to be appropriately guided while directing its members to await further directives.
I wonder how you will pass an exam. The election was postponed by INEC and not APC. Later you will blame the government when employers refuse to employ you.Read the instructions thoroughly before answering the questions.
pragmstism: The fear of defeat has made APC postpone the election but it doesn't change anything the lifeless one will be voted out
Will you mind if someone calls you an idiot? We should be civil enough to respect someone else's father. Let us put election aside. I won't be surprise how you will perform in a cooperate environment.
wingman: Gross incompetence! Buhari government can't get anything right yet they want 4 more years. Idiots!
Will you mind if someone calls you a dullard? We should be civil enough to respect someone else's father. Let us put election aside. I won't be surprise how you will perform in a cooperate environment.
shikshark: the dullard is afraid of daura.....but daura is upon him
Mutteeme: The Independent National Electoral Commission in Nigeria (INEC) on Friday night announced a shift in the general elections dates to February 23 and March 9 respectively.
The new schedule was announced by the Chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, early Saturday morning after an emergency meeting with security officials, election observers and other political stakeholders.
Fayose Tweets: Two days ago, I told Nigerians that the Presidency cabal were considering postponement of the elections because they knew that they can't win. Now I'm vindicated. With this, they have only succeeded in making their situation worse. Nigerians will defeat this tyranny ultimately.
He still has time to conduct his own election. He can take it up from where INEC stopped.
UcheSecondus: .....says its Buhari's agenda to cling to power
.........calls on INEC Chairman to resign immediately
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has said that shoddy arrangement for this election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is a deliberate pre determined agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari to cling on to power even when it's obvious to him that Nigerians want him out.
Prince Secondus said that the postponement which is part of a grand design by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to thwart the will of Nigerians at all cost, clearly exposes INEC as a failure and calls on the Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to resign immediately.
The PDP leader warns that the party will not accept anything short of a well organized electoral process devoid of manipulation, harassment and intimidation of voters and the opposition particularly members of the PDP.
Having failed in all their nefarious options to enable them cling on to power, the APC and the INEC came up with the idea of shifting election an action that is dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable.
The National Chairman said that the APC in connivance with the INEC have been trying all options including but not limited to burning down INEC offices in some states and destroying of electoral materials to create artificial problems upon which to stand for their dubious act.
According to a statement from the National Chairman's media office signed by Ike Abonyi, Prince Secondus said that the party is privy to all the pressures from the APC and the federal government to arm twist the INEC, to dance to their new strategy after their earlier ones failed.
"With several of their rigging options failing, they have to force INEC to agree to a shift in the election or a staggered election with flimsy excuses pre manufactured for the purpose.
"For the avoidance of doubt the PDP sees this action as wicked and we are also aware of other dubious designs like the deployment of hooded security operatives who would be ruthless on the people ostensibly to scare them away.
He said that by the action of the President he has further demonstrated his insensitivity costing the huge cost after Nigerians including those who came home from abroad have all mobilized to their various constituencies.
The National Chairman recalls that the PDP had earlier alerted Nigerians that the APC was coming up with lined up rigging strategies including burning down of INEC offices and engineering crisis in PDP strong hold areas to scare away the people.
Prince Secondus said that the wicked killing of over 60 persons mostly women and children in Southern Kaduna on the eve of election is a copious ploy by the APC to frighten the people away from voting knowing too well that they were not going to record any vote from the area.
"Recall that the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el rufai had earlier threatened international election observers of going to their country in body bags and with the fatal violence in the state on the eve of election, it's clear what the motives are, to frighten the observers from the state so that he can carry out his nefarious acts.
The National Chairman also drew the attention of all lovers of democracy to the statement of President Buhari on the international media that nobody can unseat him from office as an indication of what he wants to do.
Prince Secondus also regretted that President Buhari who made a promise at the signing of peace accord that the election will be conducted in a fair and transparent atmosphere has gone ahead in breach of the peace agreements to send soldiers and other security agencies to arrest, harass and intimidate opponents in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Kano, Kaduna states.
it is obvious you can't construct a complete sentence without mistakes. You spend the time that you are suppose to be learning how to write constructively criticizing others. I wonder how you managed to pass through school. Maturity is the ability to think, write, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity.I pity your employer.
Anthony Joshua clinically stopped Alexander Povetkin in seven rounds to defend his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles and reaffirm his status as the world's leading heavyweight.
Since adding his third world title with March's victory over Joseph Parker, the return of Tyson Fury and frustration over his inability to secure a unification match-up with WBC champion Deontay Wilder has threatened that very reputation.
That an estimated 68,000 were present at Wembley Stadium - significantly fewer than the 90,000-strong crowd that attended last year's victory over Wladimir Klitschko - demonstrated that, but he professionally overcame an opponent of ambition and class.
The 39-year-old Povetkin, like Joshua an Olympic gold medallist, had previously lost only to Klitschko and over the distance when the great Ukrainian was at his peak. Joshua capitalised on his aggression in a way that Klitschko could not, dropping him once before stopping him on his feet.
Joshua had spoken in the week of feeling "tons of pressure" to perform and the confirmation of the December 1 date for the higher-profile fight between Wilder and Fury will not have helped, but if he felt that pressure in the ring, it did not show.
With the physical advantages over an opponent who fought Klitschko on the same evening Joshua made his professional debut, it would have proved a significant upset had the champion secured anything other than his latest victory.
SheikhMuniru: FROM TOGO TO LONDON FOR EAR TREATMENT INSHAL ALLAH... Ameen
Is this meant to be a prayer or what? This is someone's father. Imagine if he happens to be your father. Pray to God and raise your hands in sincerity.
Politics › NJC Advises Buhari To Retire Walter Onnoghen Compulsorily Over $1.7m Cash by morili(op): 5:06am On Apr 04, 2019
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