Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN) Walter Onnoghen, has revealed reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari removed him unceremoniously from office in 2019.
According to Onnoghen, he was removed from office as a result of rumors that he had a meeting in preparation for the 2019 general elections with former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Onnoghen said, he never traveled to Dubai or held any meeting with anybody including Atiku, even as the rumor spread fast, he decided not to react.
The former CJN made this disclosure while speaking in Abuja at a book lunch titled ‘Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, Practice Procedure, Forms and Precedents, a book authored by Chief Ogwu James Onoja, a renowned legal luminary.
The former CJN maintains that the Federal Government unlawfully come after him and his office despite having all the machinery to investigate the allegation but they never did.
Onnoghen stress that his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal was arranged when the situation got to the peak even when he had not been invited or accused of any wrongdoing, stating that, “Democracy will be dead in Nigeria without a courageous judge.”
Onnoghen maintains that the period of his ordeal was the darkest era in the history of the Nigerian judiciary.
He also maintains that Judicial officers must be courageous not to be discouraged by what happened to them in the hand of the Executive arm of the government.
He said, emerging Nigerian judges should not go in the direction of injustice because, without courageous judges and justices, Nigeria is doom.
He said during his tenure as the CJN, the problem of Nigeria was not the Nigerian judiciary, but those who had no regard for the rule of law, adding that, we must therefore be committed to the rule of law and dispense justice without fear or favor.
He said, “Truth stands, crush it, it will stand because it is truth”
He went further to warn against politicizing the appointment of the judicial officers, stating that, “The appointment of judicial officers must never be allowed to be politicized otherwise, democracy and democratic governance will be dead.”
Onnoghen said before his suspension, he was never confronted with any allegation. He said, “There were rumors that I met with Atiku in Dubai, as I am talking with you today, I have never met Atiku one on one in my life. He added as if that was not enough, they said, I was also setting free high-profile criminals, whereas I seize to be a High court judge as far back as 1978.”
Onnoghen said in all these rumors and accusations, he was never allowed to defend himself stating that, “In the Supreme Court, they sit in panels.”
He said, “Let me make it clear that the office of the CJN was not for Onnoghen but for all Nigerians who had sworn to guide and protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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