A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has asked embattled Justice Walter Onnoghen to quit the bench, following the allegations leveled against him at the code of conduct tribunal.
Falana made this call on Sunday while featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said, “The government should as a matter of urgency, lift the suspension on the Chief Justice since the Chief Justice as so much to on his own admitted that he did not declare his assets, he should do the needful by calling it quits”.
The human right activist said after the suspension has been lifted, the Chief Justice should quit the bench because he has already admitted that he failed in his duty to declare his asset as required by the constitution.
The Senior Advocate further argued that the Executive and the Judiciary arms of government have failed Nigerians with regards to the case of Justice Walter Onnoghen.
According to him, it was wrong for President Muhammadu Buhari to have suspended Justice Onnoghen based on an ex parte order of the code of conduct tribunal.
He said by so doing the President did not follow due process, stressing that the government must learn to obey the rule of law.
“You can’t fight corruption without following due process,” Falana said.
The Federal Government on Friday suspended Onnoghen, following the order of Code of Conduct Tribunal on January 23rd.
The Nigerian government said the suspension stood until the conclusion of Onnoghen’s trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Following the suspension, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday swore in acting CJN in the person of Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed from Bauchi State.
Following the suspension, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday swore in acting CJN in the person of Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed from Bauchi State.
He was conveyed to the Presidential Villa at about 4:30pm in a black Mercedes Benz C240 with number plate GWA: 900FA.
Onnoghen is being tried by the government at the CCT for alleged non-declaration of assets as required by the law.
