Nigeria In One Minute
CJN slot: Buhari under pressure, as plot to sideline Onnoghen thickens
Pressure has continued to mount on President Muhammadu Buhari to forward the name of the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, to the National Assembly to be confirmed as the substantive CJN before February 10.
Onnoghen, who is presently the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, is the first Southern jurist to qualify for the judiciary top-job in about 30 years.
However, his confirmation as the substantive CJN seems to hang in the balance owing to alleged moves by “some highly-placed forces,” to sideline him to enable a northern jurist to take over.
A top source at the apex court told Vanguard last night that “conspiracy” to push Onnoghen out upon expiration of his acting tenure has further thickened.
According to the source who craved anonymity, “Emergence of Onnoghen as the substantive CJN is now in the hands of God. I can authoritatively tell you that the plan is to frustrate his validation by the National Assembly until February 11.
“As I am talking to you, there is fear that those bent on ensuring that a Southerner does not head the judiciary at this point in time, especially during the tenure of President Buhari, may have concocted adverse security report against Justice Onnoghen.
“Their plan is to submit the security report, which will raise sundry corruption allegations against Justice Onnoghen to the Senate, few days to the expiration of the three months acting period.”
Vanguard, January 9, 2017
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