In the light of recent pronouncements by the National Judicial Council, NJC, on the trial of some judges accused of corruption, the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, opined NJC is gradually projecting itself as the defense counsel to Justice A. Ademola.
Mr. Obono-Obla's view was based on the claim by the NJC that there is no valid and subsisting appeal against the ruling delivered by Justice Okeke, discharging and acquitting Justice Ademola and two others of corruption charges.
In an exclusive chat with SaharaReporters, The presidential aide said the claim made by the NJC in a statement issued on Saturday is grossly misleading. According to Mr. Obono-Obla, Contrary to NJC’s statement, there is a valid and subsisting appeal against Justice Okeke's ruling.
"The ruling appealed against was delivered on 5 April. We filed a Notice of Appeal on the 7 April 2017. The law gives us 90 days to file Notice of Appeal from the date of delivery of the ruling. We also filed additional grounds of Appeal on the 6 June.
The period for us to compile records will start to run from 7 June to expire on 8 August 2017," said Mr. Obono-Obla.
He added that the court of Appeal invited both parties to attend court on 6 June to reconcile records of Appeal. He therefore maintained that as long as the Notice of Appeal has not been struck out, the appeal remains valid and pending.
He wondered if the NJC has transmuted into a defense counsel to Justice Ademola. He said: "Why is the NJC descending into the arena? Is the NJC not supposed to be neutral? A judge that has been arrested, interrogated, released on bail, docked and tried for corruption has lost the credibility, integrity and moral authority to be a judge.
He should leave the bench in the interest of the integrity of the judiciary. A judge must be above any modicum of suspicion; scrupulously clean. A judge must be like Caesar 's wife. I call on the NJC to recommend to Mr. President the dismissal and retirement of all judges that have been arrested and questioned by law enforcement agencies and those standing trial, including the one that was tried and acquitted,"
