- A group, Coalition for Change in Nigeria (CCN), has asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, to resign
- The call for the CJN's resignation is connected with his alleged refusal to declare his assets
- The coalition said it was disappointed the Onnoghen's resignation has been misinterpreted
A group, Coalition for Change in Nigeria (CCN), has asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, to tender his resignation letter and vacate his post.
The call for the CJN’s resignation letter came on the heels of the accusation that Onnoghen has refused to declare his assets, an action which is contrary to Code of Conduct Bureau Act, Vanguard reports.
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The group said that it was disappointed that Onnoghen's trial was given many political, religious and ethnic interpretations.
The group also said the trial of the chief judge was not about President Muhammadu Buhari or his party, the All Progressive Congress.
The president of CCN, Patriot Sabo Odeh, therefore asked the CJN to resign and face full trial in a speech he gave during a press conference on Wednesday, January 16.
"Without prejudice to the eventual outcome of the case filed before the Tribunal, the fact that His Lordship would rather toe the line ruled by regional governors to violate the constitution being the chief interpreter of the law has proven that he has no business occupying his current post," he said.
In the speech, the president called the development that caused the trail a shame.
He said: “Nigerians have again been subjected to a spectacle of shame with the ongoing but needless controversy over the arraignment of the chief justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal over his alleged failure to properly declare his assets and operating foreign domiciliary bank accounts.
“We call the controversy a shame because it has exposed the sham in the constant agitation for a paradigm shift that some of our compatriots put up for show.
“We have noted that the matter, which is glaringly an open and close case, since flagrant violation of the constitution and legislation emanating from it have been established against Justice Onnoghen.
“But in an atmosphere that has been hijacked by a feral opposition it is not surprising that the case has been turned on its head and given all manners of colourations, all with the sole aim of allowing another person that has abused his position of trust to escape repercussions.”
Odeh also commented that the judiciary is very significant to the growth of the nation, saying if the CJN’s act does not show he is interested in the growth, then he should leave his position.
He said: “The preservation of Nigeria is at the core of expectations from the judiciary and if the number one person in the judiciary has shown that he is not interested in the oneness and the harmonious existence of the country there is no need to continue trusting his leadership of that arm of government.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that some notable Nigerian lawyers described as untimely, illegal and unconstitutional the prosecution of the CJN by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) consequent to the petition by the executive secretary of the anti-corruption research data-based initiative, Dennis Aghanya, and submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
The senior lawyers argued that the court of appeal in the case of NGANJIWA V FRN held that no serving judge in Nigeria can be investigated or tried in a court of law without being removed from the bench.
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Onnoghen Absent As Trial Commences | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng