Onnoghen Ought To Have Resigned Earlier, Says Prof. Tahir | Nairalaw

The Vice Chancellor of Baze University, Professor Maman Tahir,
has reacted to the reported resignation of suspended Chief Justice
of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen.

Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, he
stated that one expected Justice Onnoghen to have resigned his
position earlier following his trial at the Code of Conduct
Tribunal.

“There is some element of inevitability in what has happened.
The way the Onnoghen saga has been going on, one actually had
expected him to have taken this decision much earlier,” he
stated

Tahir, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), regretted
that the trial of Justice Onnoghen over alleged false declaration
of assets at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), would not have been
in the public domain should he had relinquished his position
earlier.

While noting that the reported resignation of the suspended CJN
has not been officially confirmed, he however said if truly Justice
Onnoghen has finally quit his position, the development is coming
quite late.

“If it is true (that Justice Onnoghen resigned) because it has
not been officially confirmed yet, my fear is that it may be a bit
late in the day for him because he should have come before or after
the NJC met and took a decision on him.

“Now coming after becomes a bit of a matter of discretion
whether to accept or not to accept. We are not privy to the details
of Mr President but obviously from reports, it’s like the President
has been advised to get him removed from office.

“But whether the decision to resign will be effective is a
complication for him because normally in public service, if
disciplinary process is on, and then an officer does not resign
before a decision is taken, it becomes a matter of discretion
whether to accept or reject that decision on his part,” he
added.