Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, is set to resume his drawn-out legal battle on Tuesday at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. This latest episode in the saga dates back to the controversial 2019 judgment by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) that unceremoniously kicked him out of office.
Justice Onnoghen, who was once the towering figure of Nigeria’s judiciary, has been fighting to overturn the CCT’s decision for years. His appeal, gathering dust since 2019, is asking the Court of Appeal to sweep away the judgment that not only tarnished his reputation but also ended his career in disgrace.
In a desperate plea to the appellate court, Onnoghen, through his lead counsel Adegboyega Awomolo, is urging the court to quash his conviction. His arguments? Alot of claims including lack of jurisdiction, blatant bias, and a complete disregard for fair hearing, grounds that should raise more than a few eyebrows.
Let’s not forget the original sin, In 2019, the CCT found Onnoghen guilty on all six counts of violating the code of conduct for public officers. The tribunal, led by its chairman, Danladi Yakubu Umar, didn’t just stop at stripping him of his position as Chief Justice; it also tore away his roles as chairman of both the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
And as if that wasn’t enough, the tribunal decided that Onnoghen should lose not just his jobs but also his money. The CCT ordered the forfeiture of his five bank accounts, citing the former CJN’s failure to declare them in his asset declaration form. A small oversight? Hardly. The tribunal made it clear, no mercy for those at the top who think they can break the rules.
So here we are, years later, watching as Justice Onnoghen once again steps into the legal arena, determined to challenge what he and his supporters view as a gross miscarriage of justice.
