By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA — There is palpable tension at the top echelon of the judiciary, weekend, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, await the final verdict of the National Judicial Council, NJC, tomorrow.
The council is expected to receive recommendations from a fresh three-man investigative panel charged with the responsibility of scrutinizing the verdict of an initial panel that allegedly indicted Justice Salami of perjury.
NJC had in a bid to restore confidence of some of its members, who vehemently protested the judgment of the initial five-man probe panel led by former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abdullahi Umaru, decided to subject the report to a second judicial review.
Consequently, it mandated a fresh panel headed by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, to not only reconsider the decision of the protem panel but also to recommend befitting sanctions for any of the warring parties found professionally wanting.
Vanguard investigations had revealed that the pro-Salami group at the NJC criticized the report of the Justice Umaru led panel, insisting that it was biased and lopsided.
They challenged the objectivity of the panel, which not only indicted Justice Salami of lying on oath, but equally exonerated the CJN of complicity over allegations of judicial recklessness levelled against him in relation to the role he played in the 2007 gubernatorial dispute in Sokoto state.
The Salami loyalists maintained that considering the opprobrium the uncanny impasse between the two legal eggheads attracted to the entire judiciary, that the panel ought to have recommended that there was prima-facie evidence suggestive of an accumulated acrimony between the warring duo.
The faction therefore rejected the initial probe report, saying it was nothing but a brainchild of the CJN.
Nevertheless, in a bid to restore its battered integrity, the NJC, which is presently presided by Justice Dahiru Musdapher, urged the new panel to ensure that it submitted its report by tomorrow.
On the establishment of evidence of conviviality between the PCA and the ACN politicians, the Justice Auta led panel was specifically asked to determine if Salami had run foul of Rule 1, 2, (A) of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, which states that: “In performance of his duties a Judicial Officer should observe the following rules: Rule 1 (2) (a): A Judicial Officer must avoid social relationships that are improper or give rise to an appearance of impropriety, that cast doubt on the Judicial Officer’s ability to decide cases impartially, or that bring disrepute to the judiciary.
Vanguard
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayABUJA — There is palpable tension at the top echelon of the judiciary, weekend, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, await the final verdict of the National Judicial Council, NJC, tomorrow.
The council is expected to receive recommendations from a fresh three-man investigative panel charged with the responsibility of scrutinizing the verdict of an initial panel that allegedly indicted Justice Salami of perjury.
NJC had in a bid to restore confidence of some of its members, who vehemently protested the judgment of the initial five-man probe panel led by former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abdullahi Umaru, decided to subject the report to a second judicial review.
Consequently, it mandated a fresh panel headed by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, to not only reconsider the decision of the protem panel but also to recommend befitting sanctions for any of the warring parties found professionally wanting.
Vanguard investigations had revealed that the pro-Salami group at the NJC criticized the report of the Justice Umaru led panel, insisting that it was biased and lopsided.
They challenged the objectivity of the panel, which not only indicted Justice Salami of lying on oath, but equally exonerated the CJN of complicity over allegations of judicial recklessness levelled against him in relation to the role he played in the 2007 gubernatorial dispute in Sokoto state.
The Salami loyalists maintained that considering the opprobrium the uncanny impasse between the two legal eggheads attracted to the entire judiciary, that the panel ought to have recommended that there was prima-facie evidence suggestive of an accumulated acrimony between the warring duo.
The faction therefore rejected the initial probe report, saying it was nothing but a brainchild of the CJN.
Nevertheless, in a bid to restore its battered integrity, the NJC, which is presently presided by Justice Dahiru Musdapher, urged the new panel to ensure that it submitted its report by tomorrow.
On the establishment of evidence of conviviality between the PCA and the ACN politicians, the Justice Auta led panel was specifically asked to determine if Salami had run foul of Rule 1, 2, (A) of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, which states that: “In performance of his duties a Judicial Officer should observe the following rules: Rule 1 (2) (a): A Judicial Officer must avoid social relationships that are improper or give rise to an appearance of impropriety, that cast doubt on the Judicial Officer’s ability to decide cases impartially, or that bring disrepute to the judiciary.
Vanguard
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