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How Justice Onnoghen Wants To Save His Reputation

Published

7 years ago

April 20, 2019

Eric

By: Oshewa Promise

The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen has filed an appeal against the guilty judgement and ban by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

A copy of his Notice of Appeal made available to The Boss indicates that he has filed a 16-point appeal with a view of upturning the CCT and restore what remains of his image. It will be recalled that on Thursday, having found Onnoghen guilty, the tribunal chaired by Justice Danladi Umar removed him from office as Chief Justice of Nigeria, as Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), and as Chairman of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC). It also said Onnoghen is to forfeit the money in his five bank domiciliary accounts that were not declared to the Nigerian Government because they were acquired illegally, and as well barred him from holding public office for the next 10 years.

However, in the appeal filed at the Registry of the tribunal shortly after the judgment, Onnoghen faulted the judgement on 16 grounds, and urged the Court of Appeal to set it aside. He asked the Court of Appeal to hold that the CCT lacked the jurisdiction to hear the charge and that the tribunal ought to have recused itself from the trial. He also prayed the Appeal Court to set aside all the orders made by the tribunal in the judgment, including that of forfeiture of his five domiciliary accounts to the Nigerian government.

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it dismissed the Appellant’s application challenging its jurisdiction and thus occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice”

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it dismissed the Appellant’s application seeking the chairman to rescue himself from further proceedings on the ground of real likelihood of bias and thus occasioned a miscarriage of justice”

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it refused to recuse itself from the proceedings in view of the open declaration by the Chairman of the tribunal that he is only accountable to the President, who appointed him and nobody else, because he is not a judicial officer and thus, occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice,” he said.

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it held that the appellant confessed to the charges framed by admission and used that as a basis to hold that the appellant did not declare his assets from the year 2005 when he became a justice of the Supreme Court and thus occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice.

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it held that the evidence of DW1 and exhibit DW2 tendered it has affirmed the statement of the appellant that he forgot to make a declaration in 2009 but did in 2010 when he remembered showing there was a declaration after all contrary to count one of the charge.”

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it held that the appellant is guilty of counts 2 – 6 of the charge in view of the fact that the appellant made an admission that he did not declare the Standard Chartered Bank account numbers in the 2014 declaration and thus occasioned a miscarriage of justice.”

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it held that the appellant made false statement by the omission to declare the account numbers in Standard Chartered Bank in 2014 declaration, the same way he did in the 2016 declaration and held counts 2 – 6 to be proved to be proved and thus occasioned miscarriage of justice.”

“The lower tribunal erred in law and acted without jurisdiction when it ordered that the assets of the Appellant be confiscated and thus occasioned a miscarriage of justice.”

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it held that count one of the charge is valid and proceeded to convict the Appellant upon it.”

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it held that Exhibit 1 is not a documentary hearsay but admissible in law and this occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice.”

“The lower tribunal erred in law when it held that exhibits 4 and 5 are admissible contrary to the provision of the Evidence Act and thus occasioned a miscarriage of justice.”

“The Honourable tribunal erred in law when it convicted the Defendant/Appellant on COUNT ONE of the charge, for failure to declare his assets and liabilities, even when the essential elements of the offence as charged had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.”

“The Honourable Tribunal erred in law when it tried and convicted the Defendant/Appellant for failure to declare and submit assets declaration Forms, between 2005 and 2016, which alleged offence is unknown to law; and in total violation of Section 36 (12) of the 1999 constitution.”

“The Honourable Tribunal erred in law when it convicted the defendant/appellant for false declaration of assets when the essential elements of the offence as defined under Paragraph 11 (2) of the fifth schedule to the constitution (1999) had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt.”

“The lower Tribunal erred in law when it convicted the defendant/Appellant based on an alleged confessional statement, which confession statement did not constitute confession as known as law, as it was not precise, clear and unequivocal as required by law to sustain a conviction.”

“The Honourable Tribunal erred in law when it placed on the defendant the burden of proving his innocence in violation of Section 36(5) of the 1999 constitution, and section 135 (1) of Evidence Act 2011.”

Onnoghen hence seek relief from the Court of Appeal, that to rescue him from the proceeding and also set aside the order to forfeiture his asset by the tribunal and also declare him free.

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CAN Tackles Shariah Council Over Call to Remove INEC Chair Amupitan

Published

2 days ago

January 30, 2026

Eric

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has rejected the call by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.

The Shari’ah Council, earlier this week, demanded the immediate removal and prosecution of Amupitan, as members of the Council questioned his integrity over a legal brief in which he reportedly acknowledged claims of persecution constituting genocide of Christians in Nigeria.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Thursday, the Chairman of Northern CAN, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, and the Secretary General of Northern CAN, Bishop Mohammed Naga, questioned the motive behind the demand, asking who was sponsoring the call and why such interests are hiding behind the platform of a religious body.

Describing the call as a dangerous attempt to politicise religion and undermine a critical national institution, Hayab stressed that Professor Amupitan has a constitutional right to freedom of religion, adding that expressing concern over challenges faced by his religion does not amount to bias or disqualification from public service.

He also pointed out that many Muslims who had served in key government positions in the past had troubling religious antecedents, yet were not subjected to similar scrutiny, urging national actors to prioritise competence and national interest over sectarian sentiment.

Hayab, who warned that the controversy further reinforces concerns about persistent religious discrimination against Christians in Nigeria, particularly in appointments to sensitive national offices, recalled that the two immediate past INEC chairmen were Muslims from Northern Nigeria, and warned against narratives suggesting that only adherents of a particular religion are qualified to lead the electoral body.

“Anyone hiding under the guise of the Shari’ah Council to demand the removal of the INEC chairman over political or sectarian interests should come out boldly. Otherwise, the ploy has died naturally, he said.

“”Are they saying that no other religion should serve as INEC chairman except Muslims? The most important question Nigerians should ask is whether Professor Amupitan is competent or not.

That should be the focus, not his faith,” the statement added.

The association commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as a deliberate effort to promote national unity by appointing a Christian as INEC Chairman, despite being a Muslim.

It noted that the decision reflected statesmanship and inclusivity, similar to precedents set under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, who kept a northern Muslim as INEC Chairman against all odds.

The Christian leaders advise the Shari’ah Council to publicly identify any individual or group behind the campaign against the INEC chairman, insisting that religious platforms must not be used as “cheap cover” to pursue political interests or intimidate public officials.They, however, called on the INEC chairman not to be distracted by the controversy, urging him to remain focused on his constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections.

“He should concentrate on doing the right thing for Nigerians and not behave like others who openly manipulated elections in the past and now seek to remain relevant through religious blackmail,” the statement said.

Northern CAN also raised concerns about what it described as emerging signals of a coordinated political agenda ahead of the 2027 general election, citing recent comments by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) risks electoral defeat if it drops a Northern Muslim-Muslim ticket from President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ticket.

According to the association, such statements, when viewed alongside the sustained attacks on a Christian INEC chairman, raise legitimate questions about whether there is a deliberate effort to undermine Christian participation and confidence in the country’s political process.

Featured

Sit-at-Home: Soludo Threatens Anambra Traders with Forfeiture of Shops

Published

3 days ago

January 29, 2026

Eric

Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has escalated the enforcement of his earlier directive to traders at Onitsha Main Market, warning that shops of defiant traders will be forcibly closed if they continue ignoring government orders to open for business on Mondays.

The development follows Soludo’s initial announcement on Monday, when he ordered a one-week closure of the market over traders’ persistent defiance of the state’s anti-Monday sit-at-home directive.

Addressing the situation during an on-the-spot inspection of the market this afternoon, the governor said past efforts to persuade traders had failed, and the government is now moving to a more assertive approach.

“If you deny 20% of workdays in a year, you are undermining our prosperity, job creation, and the economy. In 2022 and 2023, we fought it. In 2024 and 2025, we pleaded. But in 2026, we are shifting to gear 4, no backing down. Anyone who closes their shop, we will help them close it for one week. From next week, if they refuse to open by Monday, I will shut down the market and take over some of them,” Soludo declared.

He described traders’ repeated Monday closures as deliberate economic sabotage, stressing that the closure ordered on Monday was a protective measure for law-abiding citizens.

Security personnel, including the police, army, and other agencies, have been deployed to enforce the closure and maintain order. Soludo warned that non-compliant traders after the one-week shutdown risk a longer closure of up to one month.

The measure is part of the state government’s ongoing effort to end Monday sit-at-home practices, which have continuously disrupted economic activities across the South-East.

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ADC Appoints Oyegun, Utomi, Bugaje, Others into 50-Man Manifesto Committee

Published

3 days ago

January 29, 2026

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday constituted a ”50-Member Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee” chaired by Odigie Oyegun.

Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary, in a statement, said the constitution of the Policy and Manifesto Committee, followed the approval by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, led by David Mark.

The party revealed that this is in line with the party’s commitment to building a credible, people-centred, and forward-looking policy framework for national governance.

The party had earlier constituted the Committees to review membership register and draft a new Constitution for the party

According to the statement, “The Policy and Manifesto Committee brings together a distinguished group of Nigerians drawn from diverse backgrounds, including former public office holders, academics, technocrats, policy experts, civil society leaders, and professionals.