The elder statesman, Edwin Clark has commended the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun for resolving the injustices meted out to one of her predecessors, Walter Onnoghen.
Clark, a 2nd Republic Senator, former federal commissioner for information, praised Kekere-Ekun for her commitment to justice and her efforts to restore the integrity of the judiciary in an open letter on Sunday.
He wrote: “I have today decided to extol the Chief Justice of Nigeria for resolving into finality the humiliation meted to the brilliant former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
“Nigerians are behind you and they are praying for you every day because without an efficient and incorruptible judiciary, Nigeria will end up as a failed country.”
Clark noted that Onnoghen’s removal by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 was a “shame” that Nigeria has only recently recovered from.
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He described the action as ” disgraceful, callous, unjust, and barbaric.”
The elder statesman stressed the ex-CJN’s sack was a calculated move to undermine the independence of the judiciary.
“Is it not disgraceful and unpatriotic to invite such person to council of state meetings, public functions or any government functions, pretending these were good Head of State and President of Nigeria? No.
“I was much concerned about the injustice that was being executed by President Buhari with impunity. To humiliate a whole Chief Justice of Nigeria, another tier of the government, must be condemned and infact brought to trial in the law court for this unpatriotic act,” he concluded.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had on November 4 discharged and acquitted Onnoghen on false assets declaration charge by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
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