Supreme Court judges boycott Justice Tanko's inauguration of election panels as protest against interference

NEWLY appointed acting chief judge of Nigeria Justice Tanko Mohammed is facing a mutiny among Supreme Court judges as they have refused to recognise him and made their feelings known by boycotting his recent inauguration of election petition panels.

On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended the embattled Justice Walter Onnoghen and replaced him with Justice Mohammed, who was sworn-in as the acting chief judge of Nigeria (CJN). Over the last few weeks, Justice Onnoghen has been involved in intense political jockeying with the government that involved him being charged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

Justice Onnoghen has challenged the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him and filed a motion to that effect, with several other legal suits on the matter also pending. Despite the matter still before the law courts, the president decided to suspend Justice Onnoghen and replace him with the Bauchi State-born Justice Mohammed.

Over the weekend, Justice Mohammed carried out his first function, inaugurating Nigeria's election petition panels in Abuja but the ceremony was boycotted by almost all of Nigeria's Supreme Court judges. Only one of the judges, Justice Sidi Bage, was at the weekend ceremony despite all his colleagues being invited to the ceremony.

Apparently, the Supreme Court judges have taken a firm position not to help in conferring legitimacy on the process that brought in Justice Mohammed. Many of them were said not to have any personal animosity towards him but were opposed to the principle of the executive interfering with the independence of the judiciary.

 One Supreme Court source said: “A mutiny is brewing here because those people you see here are independent-minded and cannot be coerced into doing what they don’t believe in. Although they were aware and available in Abuja, they simply refused to turn up.

"That is how it may remain until the original CJN returns. If it were the man they recognised as the legal CJN, all of them would have turned up at the inauguration."

Even before the recent debacle, Justice Tanko had always challenged Justice Onnoghen over seniority, arguing that since he got appointed to the bench first, he should remain his senior, notwithstanding who got to the apex court first. However, Justice Onnoghen’s predecessor, Justice Muhammadu Mahmud, had insisted on recognising him as being senior to Justice Tanko.

When Justice Onnoghen assumed office, peace overtures were repeatedly made to Justice Tanko. However, Justice Tanko is said not to be too popular among his colleagues due to the way he had consistently treated Justice Onnoghen and his swift acceptance of the latter’s position is seen as a coup against the leadership of the court.