Appeal Court Fails To Hear Onnoghen’s Appeals Again
The Court of Appeal,
Abuja Division, yesterday further adjourned its planned hearing of the
three appeals filed by suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice
Walter Onnoghen to February 27.
This is about the third time the court will adjourn the hearing in the
appeals filed against the decisions of the Code of Conduct Tribunal
(CCT) before which Onnoghen is standing trial for alleged breach of code
of conduct for public officers.
Onnoghen is, by his first appeal, challenging the jurisdiction of the
CCT to hear the charge against him, being a serving judicial officer.
He is, in the second appeal, querying the propriety of the CCT’s ruling
of January 14 this year, in which it elected to hear all pending
application.
The third appeal is against the CCT ex-parte order directing Onnoghen to
vacate office as CJN and President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint an
acting CJN.
Read More at: https://leadership.ng/2019/02/21/again-acourt-fails-to-hear-onnoghens-appeals/
Read More at: https://leadership.ng/2019/02/21/again-acourt-fails-to-hear-onnoghens-appeals/
The Court
of Appeal, Abuja Division, yesterday further adjourned its planned hearing of
the three appeals filed by suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice
Walter Onnoghen to February 27.
This is about the third time the court will
adjourn the hearing in the appeals filed against the decisions of the Code of
Conduct Tribunal (CCT) before which Onnoghen is standing trial for alleged
breach of code of conduct for public officers.
Onnoghen is, by his first
appeal, challenging the jurisdiction of the CCT to hear the charge against him,
being a serving judicial officer.
He is, in the second appeal, querying the
propriety of the CCT’s ruling of January 14 this year, in which it elected to
hear all pending application.
The third appeal is against the CCT ex-parte
order directing Onnoghen to vacate office as CJN and President Muhammadu Buhari
to appoint an acting CJN.
At the last adjourned date, the Judges of the Apeal Court could not form a quorum for the purpose of hearing the appeals.
Two of the three Justices,
required to form a quorum, were said to be attending a seminar. Oyin Koleoso,
who represented the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation
(AGF), told the court that the AGF has instructed that Aliyu Umar, SAN, should
take over the case of the respondent. Koleoso sought an adjournment to enable
Umar take over the case of the respondent.
Lawyers to the appellant, Chris Uche (SAN) objected to an adjournment, but he was overruled by a three-man panel of the court presided over by Justice Abdul Aboki.
Lawyers to the appellant, Chris Uche (SAN) objected to an adjournment, but he was overruled by a three-man panel of the court presided over by Justice Abdul Aboki.
The court further adjourned hearing in the appeals till February 20.
Again, when parties got to court yesterday, Umar, who appeared for the
respondents, said he has filed an application, in which he, among others sought
to be afforded time to familiarise himself with what had been filed in the
appeals so far.
Appellant’s lawyer, Uche did not object to a request for a
brief adjournment, following which the court adjourned till February 27, 2019.
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