Onnoghen: Tough Options for lawyers in Buhari’s cabinet

Last weekend’s suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria may have raised unease amongt lawyers and political stakeholders across the country.

It may be a different kettle of fish for lawyers and activists in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC who had in the past been in the front in propagating civil rights.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo who is the most prominent lawyer in the Muhammadu Buhari administration last Sunday cancelled a scheduled live interview on Channels Television in the wake of the controversy. His media aide, Laolu Akande attributed the cancellation to campaigning activities.

However, there were suggestions in some sections that the vice-president may have been queasy about defending the government’s action especially given his antecedents.

Besides Osinbajo, at least eleven other lawyers in the federal cabinet were at the weekend upbraided over their indecision on the issue by one of the country’s leading lawyers, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN.

Besides cabinet members, Vanguard gathered that some senior members of the APC especially lawyers were taken aback by the decision of the president to act against the CJN.

It was gathered that the development could have been especially touching for Prof. Osinbajo, a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN who as acting president of the country forwarded the National Judicial Council’s NJC’s recommendation on Onnoghen’s nomination as CJN to the Senate.

Vanguard, January 31, 2019

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