Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen (rtd) on Friday broke silence on why the President Muhammad Buhari led APC government unceremoniously removed him from office in 2019.
Onnoghen, at a book launch he attended with his wife on Friday, revealed that prior to his removal, there had been rumour from the Executive that he held a meeting with former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, preparatory to the 2019 general elections.
Onnoghen spoke at the unveiling of a book titled ‘Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, Practice, Procedure, Forms and Precedents’, authored by a renowned legal luminary, Chief Ogwu James Onoja, SAN.
The former CJN stated he became amazed that even with the fact that the Federal Government had all the machinery to research the allegation of the rumoured meeting with Atiku, it in no way did so, but opted to unlawfully go after him and his office.
Onnoghen said the rumour became thick and spread speedy, but he determined no longer to react to it due to the fact he never travelled to Dubai or held any assembly with everyone, which include Atiku.
Onnoghen said that the state of affairs climaxed when , his trial on the Code of Conduct Tribunal was level-controlled, even if he had not been invited or accused of any wrongdoing.
The motion of the government, in step with Onnoghen, were given to the peak when in the path of the trial and when parties had joined troubles, an ex-parte utility changed into added in, and what observed turned into his illegal and unlawful suspension as the CJN.
“Prior to my suspension, I was faced with out a allegation.
“There have been rumours that I met with Atiku in Dubai. As I am speaking right here today, I actually have in no way met Atiku one on one in my life. As if that became not enough, I became also accused of setting free, excessive-profile criminals, while I seized to be a High Court Judge as far returned as 1978.
“In Supreme Court, I did now not take a seat on my own. We sit down in panel. In a lot of these rumours and outright accusations, I was no longer given opportunity to shield myself.
“Let me make it clear that the workplace of the CJN became no longer for Onnoghen however for all Nigerians who had sworn to manual and protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“To say the least, the duration of my ordeal become the darkest technology within the history of the Nigerian Judiciary.
“As I have severally, Judicial officials must be courageous. And I need to beg all serving judicial officials not to be discouraged via what passed off to me within the hand of the Executive arm of the government” Justice Onnoghen said.
He suggested upcoming judicial officers to be brave and courageous.
“Emerging Nigerian judges need to no longer cross the path of injustice due to the fact with out brave judges and justice , Nigeria is doomed.”
“Here, allow me sound this be aware of caution that the appointment of judicial officials have to in no way be allowed to be politicized, otherwise, democracy and democratic governance might be dead.”
“During my tenure, the problem of Nigeria became now not the Nigerian judiciary, but folks that had no regard for the guideline of regulation. We have to therefore be devoted to the rule of thumb of regulation and dispense justice with out worry or favour.”
“Truth stands, weigh down it, it's going to stand because it's far truth, Onnoghen added.
He stated his ordeal in 2019 was not the first, adding that at a point for the duration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, a Commission became set up and that he became indicted of wrongdoing, even when he was no longer invited or appeared earlier than the Commission to guard himself.
Onnoghen however stated because former President Obasanjo turned into a frontrunner who listened to advice, the problem become mentioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) for evaluate. He said on the Council, fact surfaced and it changed into upheld to solve uncleared issues.
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