Nigerian government asks CJN Onnoghen to ‘step aside’

The Federal Government of Nigeria wants the Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen out of office, according to Aliu Umar, the Nigerian government prosecutor in the ongoing trial of Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen in a statement on Tuesday.

The Nigerian government prosecutor, in his opening address at the resumed hearing on the matter involving the Chief Justice said Mr Onnoghen had been written, and wondered whether he had received it or not.

Today’s hearing is the second since the matter first opened on January 14, and Mr Onnoghen was not present when the tribunal opened at 10:21 a.m.

The CJN has been accused by the Buhari administration of failing to declare bank accounts despite being a Supreme Court judge since 2005, an offence that contracts the Code of Conduct Act and could attract penalties if established.

A team of over 50 defence counsels lead by Wole Olanipekun, a senior lawyer are defending Mr Onnoghen and during the hearing today, The leader of the team said the judge was absent because of the cases that were instituted against the tribunal’s proceeding.

A federal high court ruled last week that Mr Onnoghen’s trial be suspended, but government supporters have argued that the ruling was an anomaly because the tribunal possesses equivalent powers to the federal high courts. They argued that only the Court of Appeal could issue rulings that would be binding on the tribunal.

The Court of Appeal hearing on the matter has been fixed for January 24.

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