The Court docket of Enchantment, Abuja division, on Thursday, authorised the proposal by the Federal Authorities to settle out of court docket with a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who’s difficult his untimely removing from workplace in 2019.
The three-man appellate court docket panel, led by Justice Joseph Oyewole, additionally gave the events November 19, 2024, to return to the court docket with their settlement phrases for potential adoption because the judgment of the court docket within the dispute.
Onnoghen, the twenty first CJN, was faraway from workplace in 2019 by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), which convicted him of failing to declare his belongings as a public official. The Danladi Umar-led CCT additionally ordered the forfeiture of Onnoghen’s 5 financial institution accounts.
Displeased with the CCT verdict, Onnoghen appealed shortly thereafter, however his case was solely listed for listening to this yr. The matter got here up on August 20, 2024, however was additional adjourned until Thursday after the Federal Authorities’s lawyer, Tijani Gazali (SAN), said that the Federal Authorities was contemplating an out-of-court settlement of the case.
On the resumed listening to on Thursday, Onnoghen’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu Onoja, knowledgeable the three-member panel of Justices that the 2 events have been already in discussions a few peaceable decision of the dispute. Onoja talked about that the events had been in dialogue up till Wednesday, September 18.
He expressed hope that the dialogue can be fruitful and requested a one-month adjournment for the ultimate settlement of the matter.
The Federal Authorities’s lawyer, Gazali, didn’t object to Onoja’s submission. As a substitute, he aligned with Onoja’s request for a one-month adjournment to conclude the amicable decision of the case.
He stated, “My Lords, I want to humbly verify the data. It’s our place to settle the matter out of court docket.”
In response, the lead Justice on the matter, Justice Oyewole, directed each events to file phrases of settlement for adoption as soon as agreed upon. He additionally ordered them to doc the phrases of settlement and file them in court docket earlier than the adjourned date for the court docket to undertake as its judgment within the matter.
Justice Oyewole set November 19 because the return date for the 2 events.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari had, in 2019, eliminated Justice Onnoghen because the CJN following a cost levelled towards him for false declaration of belongings, for which the Code of Conduct Tribunal discovered him responsible and eliminated him from workplace.