BUHARI HAS LEGAL RIGHT TO SUSPEND CJN – PROF SAGAY – AS ACTING CJN INAUGURATES 2019 ELECTION PETITION TRIBUNAL MEMBERS
While there has been protest against President Muhammadu Buhari’s yesterday suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen from different quarters, especially from the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, Law Professor Itse Sagay has differed, saying that the president has the legal right to suspend CJN.
Prof. Sagay who is the head of a government appointed advisory body on graft argued that Onnoghen had admitted that he did not fully comply with the assets declaration requirements. He posited that: “The suspension is morally justified and legally justified. Morally, he should not be in that office considering what has happened. Legally, the President has powers to remove him”.
In the same vein, Debo Adeniran of “the Coalition against Corrupt Leaders lobby Group” also backed the president. “The Judiciary has been a clog in the wheel of the anti-corruption war. “It’s on record that Judges have been frustrating graft cases by granting frivolous rulings and injunctions,” he added… (Vanguard newspaper)
Meanwhile, in less than twenty four hourse of his swearing-in as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, after President Mohammadu Buhari suspended Justice Walter Onnoghen as CJN over assets declaration charges before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Tanko Mohammed has performed his first official assignment.
Earlier today, Justice Mohammed inaugurated 250 Judges as members of the 2019 Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja who superintend the adjudication of 2019 National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly Eletion Petition Tribunals.
During the inauguration, which held in the chamber of the Supreme Court, Abuja, he charged the Judges to rise in defense of the integrity of the judiciary in the course of discharging their constitutional duties.
