Indications have revealed that the Federal Government may continue with the trial of the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). Findings show that while some government officials wanted the trial concluded some members of the Bench and the Bar insisted on the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to retire Justice Onnoghen.
Although the President was said to be weighing options on the NJC’s report, which made recommendations on Justice Onnoghen’s future, a government official said his trial will be concluded.
The source said: “The government will not withdraw the case against Onnoghen in CCT in order not to set a bad precedent.
“We want the case to run its lifespan for posterity and to avoid reading of political meanings into it. When this case started, there was much uproar, that it was politically motivated by the presidency. We want the tribunal to decide the case on merit.
“The NJC’s report also did not say that the trial be halted. It only demanded the retirement of Onnoghen. This is why no directive has been given to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which is prosecuting the case, to withdraw the charges against the CJN.”
The source added: “There were moves to prevail on the President not to allow the CJN to be on trial in CCT. The first window came from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) which sent a delegation to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The NBA team wanted soft-landing for Onnoghen. Some terms were agreed upon, including resignation or voluntary retirement by Onnoghen.
“The second mediation was about another proposed confidential session between President Buhari and Onnoghen, which was facilitated by some highly-placed Nigerians. They wanted the President to hear from Onnoghen to pave the way for his quiet retirement from office without subjecting him to trial."
The CJN consented to the session with the President but he aborted it at the last minute without any justifiable cause.
Although, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Dr. Muhammed Isah, said: “We have not received any directive from the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN), who is the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to discontinue the case.”