The National Judicial Council on Wednesday warned
the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, against
unethical conduct, directing him to apologise in writing to the Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, within one week.
Salami was also ordered to apologise in writing to the Council.
The development followed the NJC’s deliberations on two separate reports of its committees on the allegations levelled against Salami and Katsina-Alu, and some justices of the Court of Appeal, at an emergency meeting on Tuesday.
A statement by the Deputy Director, Information, the NJC, Mr. Soji Oye, said the Council at the end of deliberations decided that Salami’s allegation that the CJN instructed him to direct the Sokoto gubernatorial Appeal to dismiss the appeal by the Democratic Peoples Party of Nigeria was false and therefore amounts to a misconduct contrary to Rule 1 (1) of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Katsina-Alu was absolved of any wrongdoing as the Council decided that he acted in good faith and was motivated by the apparent urge to protect the administration of justice and avoid the breach of peace when he directed that the judgment in the Sokoto Gubernatorial Appeal be “put on hold” pending the investigation of the petitions he had received on the matter.
The Council also decided that justices of Court of Appeal who served on the Sokoto State Governorship Appeal Panel namely, Justices Dattijo Mohammad, Paul Galinje, John Okoro, Mas’oud Oredola and Regina Nwodo, had no case to answer.
Salami himself, as well as the justices who served on the Ekiti and Osun States Gubernatorial Election Petitions Appeal Tribunal namely; Justices Clara Ogunbiyi, O. Ariwoola, Chiman Nweze and Adamu Jauro, were also cleared of charges of “unethical communication” as the call logs on which the allegation was made were found to lack authenticity.
The statement reads, “At the end of deliberations the Council decided as follows: That the allegation made by the Hon. President, Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Isa Ayo Salami, OFR that the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, GCON, instructed him to direct the Sokoto Gubernatorial Appeal to dismiss the appeal by the Democratic Peoples Party of Nigeria is not true.
“Therefore, the Chief Justice of Nigeria was exonerated of the allegation of interference with court proceedings in the Sokoto State Gubernatorial Election Appeal.”
The statement added that the President of the Court of Appeal should: “Be warned for such unethical conduct which eroded the public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the Judiciary; and
“Apologise in writing to both the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, GCON and National Judicial Council within a week from today the 10th day of August, 2011.”
By Ihuoma Chiedozie Courtesy Of: Punch
Salami was also ordered to apologise in writing to the Council.
The development followed the NJC’s deliberations on two separate reports of its committees on the allegations levelled against Salami and Katsina-Alu, and some justices of the Court of Appeal, at an emergency meeting on Tuesday.
A statement by the Deputy Director, Information, the NJC, Mr. Soji Oye, said the Council at the end of deliberations decided that Salami’s allegation that the CJN instructed him to direct the Sokoto gubernatorial Appeal to dismiss the appeal by the Democratic Peoples Party of Nigeria was false and therefore amounts to a misconduct contrary to Rule 1 (1) of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Katsina-Alu was absolved of any wrongdoing as the Council decided that he acted in good faith and was motivated by the apparent urge to protect the administration of justice and avoid the breach of peace when he directed that the judgment in the Sokoto Gubernatorial Appeal be “put on hold” pending the investigation of the petitions he had received on the matter.
The Council also decided that justices of Court of Appeal who served on the Sokoto State Governorship Appeal Panel namely, Justices Dattijo Mohammad, Paul Galinje, John Okoro, Mas’oud Oredola and Regina Nwodo, had no case to answer.
Salami himself, as well as the justices who served on the Ekiti and Osun States Gubernatorial Election Petitions Appeal Tribunal namely; Justices Clara Ogunbiyi, O. Ariwoola, Chiman Nweze and Adamu Jauro, were also cleared of charges of “unethical communication” as the call logs on which the allegation was made were found to lack authenticity.
The statement reads, “At the end of deliberations the Council decided as follows: That the allegation made by the Hon. President, Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Isa Ayo Salami, OFR that the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, GCON, instructed him to direct the Sokoto Gubernatorial Appeal to dismiss the appeal by the Democratic Peoples Party of Nigeria is not true.
“Therefore, the Chief Justice of Nigeria was exonerated of the allegation of interference with court proceedings in the Sokoto State Gubernatorial Election Appeal.”
The statement added that the President of the Court of Appeal should: “Be warned for such unethical conduct which eroded the public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the Judiciary; and
“Apologise in writing to both the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, GCON and National Judicial Council within a week from today the 10th day of August, 2011.”
By Ihuoma Chiedozie Courtesy Of: Punch
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