El-Rufai calls on Onnoghen to resign saying he is no longer fit to continue in office

KADUNA State's Governor Nasir El-Rufai has described suspended chief justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen as a shameless judge who has demonstrated that he is no longer fit to continue in office.

Last Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Justice Onnoghen and replaced him with Justice Tanko 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 challenged the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him and filed a motion to that effect and there are several other legal suits on the matter also pending. Despite the matter still being before the law courts, President Buhari decided to suspend Justice Onnoghen and replace him with the Bauchi State-born Justice Mohammed.

This week, the matter took a further twist as Justice Onnoghen went before the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal to challenge the ex-parte order the CCT issued for his suspension. He argued that the CCT led by Justice Danladi Umar erred in law by granting an ex-parte order for his removal, even when its jurisdiction to entertain the six-count charge the federal government levelled against him was being challenged.

Wading into the crisis, Governor El-Rufai said it was time for every well meaning Nigerian to support president Buhari in his fight against corruption. Addressing hundreds of protesters that stormed Government House, Kaduna calling for the resignation of Justice Onnoghen, Governor El Rufai said corruption in the judiciary is the worst form of corruption and no society can survive a corrupt judiciary.