NJC ignores Ekiti CJ’s petition THE petition authored by the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ayodele Daramola, on the alleged assault on two judges in the state judiciary by suspected supporters of the governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose, has been shoved aside by the National Judicial Council (NJC), Nigerian Tribune has learnt. In the said petition, aftermath the judicial crisis in the state, occasioned by an alleged plot to scuttle Fayose’s swearing-in, Daramola levelled accusations against Fayose and his supporters, who he referred to as thugs. A council source told the Nigerian Tribune that at the Monday meeting of the council, where Daramola was directed to open the courts in the state for activities, the council was said to have reasoned that Daramola’s accusations and pieces of evidence he provided amounted to hearsay, since he noted at the opening paragraph of the petition that he was out of the state when the incidents happened. The council reportedly ordered the two judges allegedly assaulted to write personal petitions to it, detailing the events of the two alleged attacks. Daramola’s petition was said to have been largely considered unsuitable, due to the allegations raised in the petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ekiti chapter, over his alleged complicity in the plot to stop the governor-elect and alleged partiality in the entire saga. It was further learnt that the council reasoned that hearing directly from those allegedly affected would imbue the probe process with the requisite objectivity. Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, who is handling the suit on Fayose’s eligibility to contest the June 21 governorship election, allegedly had his court disrupted on September 22. On September 25, Justice John Adeyeye was allegedly beaten and his suit torn while trying to control crowd around Fayose, within the court premises. A council source noted that Daramola’s petition gave him away as an interested party, who might not be too objective in his claims, with the potential of misdirecting the planned probe panel and the public. It was further pointed out to the Nigerian Tribune that Daramola’s choice of words and the disparaging manner he referred to the governor-elect were shocking to many members, as well as senior lawyers and judges. “If he had sought advice before writing that letter, he would have been advised against it. Even Supreme Court gives some regard when writing about you. Just consider how the CJ even referred to the governor-elect in the letter. It betrayed a mindset. No serious system would rely on such letter to commence a probe you are asking about,” the source said. One of the affected judges is also likely to back out of lodging an official complaint, after a certain senior lawyer reportedly queried his action. The said judge reportedly confessed his mistake to the senior lawyer and indicated that he would likely let the sleeping dog lie on the matter. Nigerian Tribune was informed that an official probe might open a can of worms that could consume even the complainants. Nigerian Tribune also gathered that lobbying had begun for Daramola’s job, considering the general feeling that he might not last in office. A widely-respected lawyer from the state revealed that at least two judges in the state judiciary were already running around to position themselves, against Daramola’s perceived imminent exit as CJ. The senior lawyer, however, noted that the agenda of the lobbying judges would not see the light of the day, as further steps had reportedly been taken on the planned reconciliation of Fayose and Daramola. The governor-elect reportedly assured those behind the peace move of his commitment to it, but was said to have insisted that Daramola would have to be purged of his alleged partisanship and partiality. Checks also showed that the advanced party from the judiciary to the Stress Management Conference in Athen, Greece, departed last night, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, staying back as exclusively reported by the Nigerian Tribune. Mukhtar decided to wait till Thursday to see how Fayose’s inauguration would go, before either joining the team or pulling out of the trip completely.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 08:08:16 +0000
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