The Kwara state chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, remove the adviser who offered him the idea leading to the unlawful and unconstitutional suspension of the former President of the Court of Appeal, Isa Ayo Salami; the purported appointment and swearing-in of an acting President of the Court of Appeal and the attempt by the President to procure the premature retirement to the jurist.
This was contained in a text of address
delivered yesterday in Ilorin by the Chairman of the branch, Salman
Jawondo at a press conference tagged ‘When salt rottens' which was
organised to officially declare the boycott of court activities to the
state government house.
Mr Jawondo said; "if it is true, as
widely reported in the newspapers, that the president acted on the
advice, supposedly, of the Attorney-General of the Federation and
Minister for Justice, to approve the unlawful suspension of Honourable
Justice Isa Ayo Salami, then we make bold to say that His Excellency of
FRN was misadvised and to that extent, it is our humble view the
presence of such an adviser in the President's cabinet needs to be
reviewed or reconsidered."
"Today, Nigeria Judiciary and
administration of Justice sector are being undermined by those who swore
to uphold the constitution of the land and whose duties include the
protection and preservation of the judiciary and the rule of law and the
entire judicial system", Mr Jawondo said.
He added that "The acts and conduct of both NJC and the Mr President are antithetical to the rule of law,
contemptuous of court process and the
judiciary and demostrated lack of respect for democratic principle and
attempts to harass and intimidate the trial court and or any court that
will have anything to do with the then pending case from doing justice
in the matter. This is worrisome and disturbing particularly when such
subversion of the rule and due process and enthronement of the rule of
the jungle emanated from country's apex judicial administrative body and
the president of the country."
In his reaction, Niyi Oshe (SAN) said;
"In my 44 years of service in this profession, I have never experienced
such an abnormal situation before therefore the CJN and the President
must be held responsible in the ugly matter".
Another senior lawyer, Peter
Olorunisola, said "The legal profession has been captured, Nigeria has
been captured therefore, Nigeria is on trial, a country where corruption
has been legalised."
The conference however recommended the
separation of the office of the Attorney-General from that of the
Minister for Justice so as to avoid future occurrence of such ugly
matter.
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