A former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen has revealed why President Muhammadu Buhari removed him from office in 2019.
He made the revelation at a book launch titled, “Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, Practice, Procedure, Forms and Precedents”, authored by a renowned legal luminary, Chief Ogwu James Onoja in Abuja on Friday.
According to Onnoghen, he was sacked by Buhari on the allegation he (Onnoghen) met with former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in Dubai, preparatory to the 2019 general elections, an allegation that was not only false but fabricated in order to do what they wanted.
He said that though he neither travelled to Dubai nor saw Atiku, he decided not to react to the rumours because it was evident that government had interest, especially since it did not investigate the allegation before it took that decision.
“Prior to my suspension, I was confronted with no allegation. There were rumours that I met with Atiku in Dubai. As I am talking here today, I have never met Atiku one on one in my life. As if that was not enough, I was also accused of setting free, high-profile criminals, whereas I seized to be a High Court Judge as far back as 1978.
“In the Supreme Court, I did not sit alone. We sit in panels. In all these rumours and outright accusations, I was not given the opportunity to defend myself.
“Let me make it clear that the office of the CJN was not for Onnoghen but for all Nigerians who had sworn to guide and protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“To say the least, the period of my ordeal was the darkest era in the history of the Nigerian judiciary.
“As I have severally, judicial officers must be courageous. And I want to beg all serving judicial officers not to be discouraged by what happened to me in the hand of the Executive arm of the government,” Onnoghen said.
While warning Nigerian judges against injustice, he also warned that appointment of judicial officers should never be allowed to be politicized.
“Emerging Nigerian judges should not go the direction of injustice because, without courageous judges and justices, Nigeria is doomed.
“Here, let me sound this note of warning that the appointment of judicial officers must never be allowed to be politicized, otherwise, democracy and democratic governance will be dead.
“During my tenure, the problem of Nigeria was not the Nigerian judiciary, but those who had no regard for the rule of law. We must therefore be committed to the rule of law and dispense justice without fear or favour.
“Truth stands, crush it, it will stand because it is truth.
