Tanko Muhammed: Senate insists on probing petition by S’Court justices despite resignation

 

 .Acting CJN in alleged age falsification scandal

.He was born in 1954, not 1958–Supreme Court

 

By Adekunle Adesuji

 

 

The Senate on Tuesday resolved to proceed with allegation of corruption against the former Chief Justice of Federation, Tanko Mohammed despite it’s resignation .

 

 

Meanwhile, Senate has  wished  the Hon. Chief Justice well, following many years of meritorious service to the nation and to pray for his good health.

 

In an unprecedented petition, justices of the apex court had jointly accused the Chief Justice of Nigeria of corruption, maladministration and incompetence.

 

Senate however  Mandated Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to Investigate the matter with the aim of resolving the issue .

 

But, on Sunday the Chief Justice if Nigeria tendered his resignation hinged on health ground .

 

At the resumption of plenary session, Chairman, Senate Committee  on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele coming under order 41 and 51 recalling how the attention of the Senate was drawn to the media report on the state of affairs in the Supreme Court of Nigeria .

 

 

Speaking on the motion, Senator Bamidele told the Senate that most issues raised by the justices of the Supreme Court and other stakeholders within the Judiciary , sti rain and need to be addressed urgently to prevent an eventual shut down of the Judiciary.

 

Supporting the motion, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege said that there is no reason for Judicial arm of government to lack anything financially adding that this should not be allowed to continue.

 

 

Also speaking in support of the motion, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Chukwuka Utazi said that the Senate need to get to the root of the matter in order to find lasting solution to the issue .

 

 

After exhaustive debate, Senate therefore  Accordingly resolves to:

mandate the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to go ahead with its assignment in the quest to find a lasting solution to the matter by interacting with relevant stakeholders to address the complaints raised in the petition by the Justices of the Supreme Court;

 

 

The Senate also Mandated the Committee to interface with the relevant stakeholders in the three arms of Government as well as at the Bar and on the Bench and collate aggregate views and positions on the short term, medium term and long term measures needed to decisively address the crisis facing the Judiciary, including the immediate fiscal intervention as well as long term and sustainable budgetary allocations, required for the optimal performance of the Judiciary, in line with global best practices.

 

Following the resignation of Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Olukayode Ariwoola was sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari as the acting chief justice of Nigeria (CJN).

 

Ariwoola is expected to serve in acting capacity until confirmation by the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the national assembly.

 

Fresh questions have been raised over the credentials of Ariwoola, and particularly on the date which he began school.

 

 

 

Ariwoola was born in Iseyin, Oyo state, on August 22, 1958. According to his credentials, he began his primary education less than a year later in 1959 at the Local Authority Demonstration School, Oluwole, in his hometown. He would spend eight years in school before graduating in 1967.

 

He then moved to Muslim Modern School in the same town from 1968 to 1969 before graduating to Ansar-Ud-Deen high school, Saki area of Oyo, for secondary education.

 

He earned his law degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1980, and a year later he was called to the Nigerian bar and got enrolled as a solicitor and advocate of the supreme court.

 

Before Ariwoola was sworn into his new role, insiders within the apex court told TheCable that some northern justices were against his appointment on the grounds that the 63-year-old is battling health issues.

 

 

They alleged that the illness might affect Ariwoola’s performance as the leader of the supreme court just as it did the immediate past CJN.

 

SUPREME COURT: 1954 LISTED ON HIS CV

Festus Akande, the spokesperson of the supreme court, however, said that the acting CJN was born in 1954.

 

Akande said that there is no “disparity” in the age of Ariwoola, while he also shared his curriculum vitae.

 

 

“There is no disparity and I don’t know where those people got that information from,” he said.

 

Responding to whether the site was edited, Akande said: “Not at all. It has never been so. How can they do that?”

 

According to section 291 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended), a Supreme Court judge is expected to retire at the age of 70.

 

If Ariwoola was born in 1958, he would have served as the CJN — if confirmed by the senate — from 2022 to 2028. But being born in 1954 means the justice will only serve as the head of the apex court from 2022 to 2024.

 

Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria, had, in April 2021, advocated for the retirement age of supreme court justices to be increased from 70 to 100. Thomas Okpoko, another senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), rejected the call.

 

Before Ariwoola was sworn in to his new role, insiders within the apex court told TheCable that some northern justices were against his appointment on the grounds that the 67-year-old is allegedly battling health issues.

 

They alleged that the illness might affect Ariwoola’s performance as the leader of the supreme court just as it did the immediate past CJN.

 

The next in hierarchy to him, Musa Dattijo Muhammad, is also said to be very ill and had just returned from a surgery.

 

The nature of the ailments is not publicly known.