Tanko, NJC Not Qualified To Fight Corruption In Nigeria Judiciary-Group

LAGOS JULY 24TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Group under the aegis of Malcolm Omirhobo Foundation has stated that the new Chief Justice Of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Muhammadu Tanko and Nigeria Judiciary Commission (NJC) are qualified and competent fight corruption in Nigeria judiciary.
The Foundation warned that Justice Tanko should not be allowed to use the word corruption to make himself popular or legalize his alleged illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional nomination, recommendation, appointment and confirmation as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria .
The group, in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Barr. Malcolm Omorhobo, made available to NewsRangers.com advised Justice Tanko and the NJC to first remove the speck from their eyes before they remove the log in the eyes of other judicial officers.
“In fairness to the very few hard working, diligent and incorruptible Judges in Nigeria , the corruption in the Nigerian Judiciary as it stands today is alarming, endemic and profound as we now have judges that are worse than bandits and terrorists stripping the Nigerian courts of its integrity , sanctity and public confidence .
“It is on this premise we concur with Hon. Justice Ibrahim Muhammadu Tanko, the new Chief Justice of Nigeria when he said that the Nigerian Judiciary is smeared with corruption and needs to be rid of it,” the statement read.
The group maintained that in identifying this problem and the need to solve it, it did not see the new Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council which he chairs as presently constituted as competent persons to clean the Augean stable because they lack the integrity, courage, confidence, fitness and properness to do the herculean job.
According to the statement, “In this part of the world, we see corruption only from the angle of bribery, embezzlement, fraud , misappropriation of fund etc, but fail to realize that corruption also means the abuse of entrusted power for private gain like when a Judicial Officer acting in his official capacity do so for his personal gain .
“This was exactly what Hon. Justice Ibrahim Muhammandu Tanko allegedly did with the backing of the National Judicial Council and the Federal Judicial Service Commission in the occasion and circumstance below:
“We instituted Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/420 /2019 against Hon. Justice Ibrahim Muhammandu Tanko, the National Judicial Council, the Federal Judicial Service Commission , the Federal Government of Nigeria , the President of Nigeria , the Attorney General of Nigeria and the Nigerian Senate at the Federal High Court .
“The Foundation’s main relief against the Defendants is that the new CJN, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Muhammandu Tanko misconduct himself by violating the Code of Conduct of Judicial Officer by making himself an available tool for the President to violate the Nigerian constitution and undermine the Nigerian Judiciary and as such he is not a fit and proper person to be nominated , recommended, appointed and confirmed as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria by the Defendants .
“All parties to the above case were served with our court processes and they all except the Senate entered appearance, were represented, joined issues and were heard following which the case was adjourned to 12/7/2019 for judgment.
“While the case was pending , the Federal Judicial Commission nominated , advised and recommended Hon. Justice I M Tanko for the office of the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria to the National Judicial Council who in turn on 10/7/2019 two days to the judgment of the Court recommended Hon. Justice I M Tanko to the President for appointment to the office of the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria . On 11/7/2019 the President on the prodding and prompting of the NJC which Hon. Justice I M Tanko Chairs appointed Hon, Justice I M Tanko as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria and immediately forwarded the appointment to Nigerian Senate for confirmation.
“All the above sacrilegious acts on the sanctity, integrity, public confidence and authority of the court happened under the very watch of Hon. Justice I M Tanko and the NJC . They overreached, arm-twist, intimidated and coerced the court seized of the case and on 12/7/2019 when the case came up for judgment whatever decision the court reached did not matter as in the usual parlance of the Nigerian courts the Plaintiff’s case has become an academic exercise.”

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