Senior Advocates Express Divergent Views
Reacting to Onnoghen’s resignation, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba SAN, told Punch reporter that Onnoghen could have decided to call it quits in the interest of the judiciary.
He said, “Without judging whether the CJN was right or wrong, because I cannot speak on that, I think it has come to a point where he would have decided that in the interest of the judiciary as an institution, it was better that he removed himself.
“I see the resignation as a no-liability resignation, which means without accepting that he had done wrong. I haven’t read the (resignation) letter but that is my thought. The issue had become messy and so a time would come you would say to yourself that if I’m the problem in the way of the judiciary, I would step down and deal with the issues I’m facing as a person, so as not to allow this to disrupt the judiciary. If that is what he has done, I applaud and salute him.”
Agbakoba said even though some people would suggest that he should have resigned earlier.
He added, “People who say he could have done that earlier could have a point, but it is never too late. The important thing is that he has done it. I think I would have done it earlier. But he may have decided to ride it out but he has now seen that he could not resist the forces against him, because clearly, as far as I’m concerned, even if he has done something wrong, the entire process has been politically motivated, without question. That cannot be denied. So, I applaud and salute him for taking himself out of the process.”
While expressing sadness over the matter, another SAN, Prof. Awa Kalu, said he had no doubts that Onnoghen’s resignation was inevitable.
Kalu said, “I have to say that I am extremely sad because a good career has come to an end in a way that not all will acclaim. I don’t think that the majority of the people who have watched the travails of the learned chief justice will come to an inevitable conclusion, that is to say that justice has been served.”
Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said, “Onnoghen was virtually hounded out of the judiciary and of the seat of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, not because of any offence that has been proved but, I genuinely believe, because of one, where he comes from, his ethnic group; two, his religion; three, the fact that he was too unbending to accommodate the excesses of the executive arm of government; and four, because he was not even considered to have been fit to occupy the position in the first instance. That was why the President never agreed to confirm his appointment many months after the Senate had okayed him until the President travelled and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had to do the unthinkable. And I also think that the cabal never forgave Osinbajo for that.”
But the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), described Onnoghen’s resignation as “embarrassing and shameful”, saying he ought to have left as soon as the allegations were raised against him.
Sagay said, “It’s disappointing because he should have done this thing (resign) since January when the news came out that he failed to declare some of his assets. He should have done it instead of going to court and embarrassing himself and the whole country.”
However, another SAN, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, said it would be premature to comment on Onnoghen’s resignation without knowing what the NJC recommended after probing the corruption allegations against him.
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