Onnoghen Blasts CCT Chairman, Says ‘On A Mission To Please His Masters’

The embattled Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has described the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, as “a man on a mission to please his masters.”

Onnoghen stated this in a fresh motion he filed before the CCT, seeking Umar to disqualify himself from his ongoing trial.

The embattled CJN filed the motion through his lawyers: Chris Uche (SAN), Chief Sebastine Hon (SAN), Okon Efut (SAN), Chief Ogwu Onoja (SAN), Noah Abdul and George Ibrahim.

In the application dated February 4, Onnoghen sought Umar’s disqualification from his trial in pursuant to Rule 12(1) and (1A) of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2016.

The embattled CJN is “seeking an order of this honourable tribunal for the honourable chairman of the tribunal, Honourable Danladi Umar, to disqualify/recuse himself from further participating in the adjudication of this case on the grounds of real likelihood of bias.”

He said the CCT Chairman has, “constructively convicted the CJN sought to be arraigned before him without either hearing from him or his being formally arraigned.”

Onnoghen berated the Umar-led CCT for asking President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend him as the substantive CJN without consulting with the National Judicial Council (NJC). He had been suspended by President Buhari on the recommendation of the CCT over allegations bordering on corruption and false declaration of assets.

“The learned chairman of the CCT (Hon Danladi Umar) is a tainted arbiter by reason of a criminal charge at the instance of the EFCC for receiving bribe money in the sum of N10m in charge number: CR/109/18 in FCT High Court by an organ under the supervision of the Attorney General of the Federation,” said the suspended CJN.

“Incidentally, he (AGF) is the prosecutor and complainant in this matter such that with such a sword of Damocles hanging over him, and himself not just recusing himself from a quasi-judicial function, he is himself not likely to be a fair arbiter, but instead more likely to trade in the charges against him in a quasi-plea bargaining in the charge against him and enter summary conviction in this proceedings to please the prosecutor.

“The applicant (Onnoghen) has no confidence in the chairman of the tribunal to do justice fairly between parties in this case as he is a man on a mission to please his masters,” he said.

Meanwhile, THE WHISTLER reported on Tuesday that Onnoghen was indicted for widespread corruption in an interim report submitted to President Buhari by the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The interim report said, “the suspect [Onnoghen] is in possession of monies above his known legitimate means of livelihood.”

“It is no doubt indicative of the fact that the suspect must have been involved in bribery and corruption as well as using some corporate entities in perpetrating his money laundering activities.”