Why opposition wants Tanko Muhammad removed as acting CJN – Presidency
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, has raised an alarm over plot to remove the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Tanko Muhammad. Onochie claimed that the opposition was plotting to remove Muhammad due to the 2023 general elections.
Buhari had appointed Muhammad acting CJN, following the suspension of Walter Onnoghen over alleged failure to declare all his assets as prescribed by law. Following the conviction of Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, last week, Buhari had extended Muhammad’s tenure as acting CJN by three months. However, Onochie in a tweet wrote: They are battling to remove him from office. They know he will still be Chief Justice of Nigeria during the next General elections because he will be in office until Dec 31st, 2023 when he turns 70. His name is Justice Tanko Muhammad, the Acting Chief Justice of our great nation. This is coming at a time a Human rights lawyer, Chief Malcom Omirhobo filed an action at the Federal High Court, Abuja, asking the court to stop Buhari from appointing Muhammad as the substantial CJN. Defendants in the suit, which he filed in the name of Malcom Omirhobo Foundation, are the National Judicial Council (NJC), Federal Judicial Service Commission, the acting CJN, Federal Government of Nigeria, Nigerian president, attorney general of the federation and the National Assembly. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/420/2019 before Justice Inyang Ekwo, the applicant also want the court to declare that the suspension and/or removal of the CJN from office is a shared responsibility of the 1st defendant, 5th defendant and 7th defendant and that the 5th defendant (Buhari) do not have the power under the law to unilaterally suspend and/or remove the CJN from office.
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