News
BREAKING: NJC sacks 10 Imo State judges including CJ!
In an unprecedented sweeping move, the National Judicial Council, dealt a heavy hammer-blow on the judicial system in Imo State, sacking 10 judges in a row, with Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu, the embattled Chief Justice (CJ) of the state, finally asked to go.
The council sustained its earlier decision that Nzeukwu should be axed for presenting himself to be sworn in as the CJ of the state, knowing that he was not the most senior judge in the state, as prescribed by law, but in fact, the fourth in ranking.
The nine other judges, were equally axed for falsifying their dates of birth in their official records in order to stretch their times on the bench, a development, which the council found reprehensible and unacceptable in the judicial system.
Kemi Babalola Ogedengbe, spokesman of the agency, who conveyed the decision of the council in a statement, said the age falsifications, were carried out by the nine judges in order to confer on themselves the undue advantage of staying longer in service while the other Judicial Officer.
Stating that the removal of the CJ, was consistent with Section 271 of the constitution, the statement, quoted the body for the appointment, promotion and discipline of judges, headed by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of the Federation, as ordering Hope Uzodimma, Governor of the state to appoint the most senior judge among the remaining to take over as CJ.
The statement named the nine judges, comprising of five from the High Court Judges and four from the Customary Court of Appeal, Imo State to include: M. E. Nwagboso, B. C. Theka, K. A. Leaweanya, Okereke Chinyere Ngozi and Innocent Chidi Ibeawuchi, all of the High Court.
The four others were Tennyson Nze, Ofoha Uchenna, Everyman Eleanya, and Rosemond Ibe from the Customary Court of Appeal, the statement, the statement said, adding that Justice V. U. Okorie who chaired the Commission that nominated as acting Chief Judge was however absolved, having dissented on record against the recommendation to appoint him to the position.
The statement, said: “Council took the decision after consideration of the reports of its Investigation Committee on allegations of age falsification against eighteen (18) Judges of the Imo state judiciary on the one hand and the queries issued to Hon. Justices V. U. Okorie and T. N. Nzeukwu. The Council however dismissed, for want of merit, similar allegations against three Judges of the State High Court whose dates of birth were found to bear no discrepancy.
“Six High Court Judges of the State, whose dates of birth either had discrepancies but with acceptable explanations or with discrepancies arising from genuine correction of their dates of birth to their disadvantage, were also exonerated.
The Judges whose dates of birth were found to bear no discrepancy, were named as I O. Agugua, C. A. Ononeze-Madu, L. C. Azuama all of the High Court, while the two others given a clean bill of health owing to provision of acceptable explanation for discrepancies in their dates of birth, included Vincent I. Onyeka and Vivian O. B. Ekezie, also of the High Court.
The statement, which said that the council directed that Onyeka and Ekezie must maintain the dates of birth supplied by the Council of Legal Education in their official records, named the four other absolved on account that they genuinely corrected their dates of birth to their disadvantage as P. U. Nodum, Alma Ngozi Eluwa, Matthew Chinedu Ijezie and Ononogbo Chidi Linus , all of the High Court.
The statement, continued: “Council, in further deliberation, barred a judge of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice Isaac J. Essien, from being considered for promotion to a Higher Court for three years due to misconduct. Council found that Hon. Justice Essien wrongly ordered the confiscation of over N1 billion belonging to the Nasarawa State Government and its Local Government Councils, despite being aware that there was a pending appeal and a pending application for stay of execution.
“Council also noted that he refused to step aside from the case after the Nasarawa State Government raised concerns about possible bias.
“Hon. Justice Essien was a former staff member of the State University, which owed him gratuity, and he had earlier demanded payment using the official letterhead of the Court – a clear breach of Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.
“Council further criticized him for personally visiting the Court of Appeal registry to confirm if an appeal had been filed in the case — an action considered highly inappropriate for a Judge.
“His Lordship was found to have violated several rules in the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers and was reprimanded and barred from elevation to a higher judicial office for a period of (3) three years.
“Council also considered the reports of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees, which contained a total number of 30 petitions against various Judicial Officers. Four (4) Committees were empanelled for further investigation, four
(4) Judges were cautioned, while 2 petitions were dismissed for lacking in merit.
“Council cautioned Hon. Justice Rahman A. Oshodi, over misuse of judicial discretion in Suit No. ID/232/53C/23.
Hon. Justice Daniel Okungbowa, Chief Judge Edo State was also cautioned over abuse of his judicial discretion in Suit No.
B1/555/2020 and was advised to exercise his discretion judicially and judiciously in future.
“Council issued a final warning to Hon. Justice G. B. Okolosi of the Delta State High Court for continued flouting Section 294 (1) of the 1999 Constitution and Hon. Justice Sa’adatu .I Mark, Federal High Court received caution for delivering judgment after constitutional 90 days.”
Regarding the petition against M. A. Ikpambese, Chief Judge of Benue State, the council threw it out, saying its probe on the report of the investigation Committee in respect of three petitions by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Fidelis Bemsen Mnyim, Guana Benjamin Joseph, and Terhemen Ngbea against Ikpambese, showed he had no case to answer.
Absolving him of any judicial wrongdoing, it noted that all the petitions presented against him were with sole aim to remove him from his position, adding that it was in fact particularly concerned about the role of Mnyim, in the scheme to remove the CJ and resolved to report him to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for necessary action.
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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