By Abubakar Yunus
Ahead of the 2023 poll, the Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) has called for the immediate resignation of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tajudeen Ariwoola over his comments recently endorsing the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike’s apparent rebellion against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
National Coordinator,Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, of the group, made the call at a press conference in Abuja yesterday.
The CNG hereby unequivocally condemn with all our might any such attempts by the government to condone highly placed judicial officers who abuse the judicial
independence which is critical to fairness and impartiality and free from outside pressures or inducements.
The group alleged that Federal Government which was quick to administer disciplinary measures on former Chief Justices Walters Samuel Nkanu Onneghen and Tanko Mohammed for less grievous allegations now appears inactive in the face of the more grievous breach of the CJN dragging the nation’s judiciary into an embarrassing political situation by being outright partisan.
“We call for the immediate resignation of Mr. Ariwoola from the position of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and an unconditional apology to Nigerians for the embarrassment caused.
“We call on the Legislative and executive arms of government to come out of their present docility by imitating urgent processes for stripping the Ariwoola of the title of the CJN to restore the integrity of the judiciary and reclaim public confidence in the Justice system”.
While speaking further, he said CNG is worried that several days after the CJN’s costly gaffe that confirms the assertion that some judges are no better than politicians in black robes, both the NJC, the executive, and the Legislative arms of government have not reacted.
“It is curious that while the erring CJN could not muster the necessary decency to resign honorably and apologize to Nigerians, the Legislative and executive arms of government also appear complicit.
“We are concerned that the CJN had cast serious doubts around his integrity and the expectations for the judiciary to maintain neutrality in whatever circumstances”, he said.
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