Onnoghen: Coast finally clear as NJC sends probe report to Buhari, seeking suspended CJN’s compulsory retirement, approves Tanko Muhammad as new CJN

“In the meantime, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) and lawyers who went to the extent of using foreign collaborators to rubbish the leadership of Nigeria for doing the right thing ensuring cleansing the judiciary of corruption, have been called upon to begin to describe themselves the best way they want to be addressed as writing of modern Nigerian history is about to come.  Also affected here is Senate President Bukola Saraki, who called out at President saying by suspending an allegedly corrupt CJN he had declared war on democracy.”

From the feelers we are getting from Abuja, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has concluded its investigations into the allegation of impropriety against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mr. Walter Onnoghen, and forwarded its report to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, with recommendations.

According to the source, the NJC’s recommendations, which came even after the Acting CJN, Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, had been queried and his received response to query considered, have cleared the coast for the Acting CJN to be appointed by the President as substantive replacement for Onnoghen.

With the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC), the coast seems clear for Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad to mount the saddle as CJN.

The DEFENDER reports that President Buhari is most likely going to accept the NJC’s recommendations that Justice Muhammad should be CJN, although he, according to a media report is said to be weighing whether or not to accept the NJC’s recommendations on the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, which seeks that he officially retires him.

Buhari, who had a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the issue before leaving for Jordan on Thursday, is also said to be seeking legal opinions on the NJC’s decisions.

The NJC, which earlier queried Justice Muhammad for allowing himself to be sworn in by the President following the suspension of Onnoghen, has absolved him of any blame.

A petition by Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria, had frowned at Muhammad’s making himself available for the President to be sworn in as Acting CJN and therefore requested the NJC to take action against him necessitating the nation’s number one Justice, acting, being queried.

The Judicial Council however founded out in his report that Justice Tanko Muhammad did nothing wrong as he accepted the appointment, having been presented with an ex parte order of the CCT, which led to Justice Onnoghen’s suspension.

The report said after receiving the NJC’s recommendations, the President elected to seek legal advice on them.

A top government official, who reportedly pleaded not to be named because he was not permitted to talk on the matter, said the President was considering some major areas which include.

The consideration of the President is: “One, whether or not NJC’s conclusions on findings on Onnoghen did not amount to indictment.  Two, if he should accept NJC’s soft-landing decision to retire Justice Onnoghen with full benefits and, last, Onnoghen’s retirement without benefits and whether the law should run its full course, including the conclusion of Onnoghen’s trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal and a fresh trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”

Buhari is also believed to be thinking of asking NJC to recommend deterrence for Onnoghen or seeking further consultations with the council.

The President is also said to be planning to seek advice on whether the input of the Senate necessary in retiring Onnoghen?

Reacting to the recommendations, concerned citizens did both praising and knocking for the NJC.

Those, who spoke on the development, said the NJC deserved commendation for being impartial in its diligent handling of the investigation to the logical conclusion whereby it was able to see the truth of the corruption at the highest place of the judiciary perpetrated by the embattled suspended CJN, Onnoghen.

They however said the judicial council should not have dented the good job with the recommendation for the President to retire him, adding that such a man, who was chief law officer of a country and who never felt remorse for his impropriety does not deserve to allow the benefits of retirement.

While they also praised the strength displayed by the NJC in seeing patriotism of Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad accepting to be sworn in as Acting CJN as against the bad feeling in some sections of the bar as shown in Agbakoba’s petitioning, citizens called on the Federal Government not to relent on his ongoing trial of the suspended CJN to serve as deterrent for others in the act of dragging the judiciary that is supposed to be the avenger of justice along corruption line.

In the meantime, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) and lawyers who went to the extent of using foreign collaborators to rubbish the leadership of Nigeria for doing the right thing ensuring cleansing the judiciary of corruption, have been called upon to begin to describe themselves the best way they want to be addressed as writing of modern Nigerian history is about to come.

Also affected here is Senate President Bukola Saraki, who called out at President saying by suspending an allegedly corrupt CJN he had declared war on democracy.

It will be recalled that Nigeria’s opposition parities enjoyed the support of the NBA even as they secured the United States, United Kingdom and European Union’s solidarity for Onnoghen, despite knowing that what the suspended CJN did was unacceptable to any society’s system in the world.

It was the reason the 2019 presidential elections assumed unprecedented height of tension with the PDP politicians led by their presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the minority party member holding on to power as President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, using paid foreign lobbyists particularly Brian Ballard to turn the electoral system against the nation itself.