NJC panel clears Salami of financial inducement •Confirms his relationship with ACN chieftains on Osun, Ekiti gov appeals •Says Salami lied on…

THE National Judicial Council (NJC) probe panel has reportedly cleared Justice Ayo Salami of financial inducement in the Osun and Ekiti governorship appeals.

However, President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, has reportedly been indicted for perjury by the five-man National Judicial Council (NJC) probe panel, for alleging on oath that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, asked him to manipulate the course of justice in the Sokoto State governorship election appeal.

In the report of the Justice Umaru Abdullahi panel, reportedly discussed at the council’s meeting on Wednesday, Salami’s allegation against the CJN was said to have been labelled “baseless” by the probe panel.

In a suit seeking to stop his promotion to the Supreme Court, Salami had deposed on oath that Justice Katsina-Alu asked him to compromise the appeal panel in giving judgment in favour of the incumbent governor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The council, according to an insider, is yet to adopt the report and discussion on it continues at its meeting today.

When Nigerian Tribune spoke with a member of the council and former president of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, he said, “to the best of my knowledge as a member, the council is still looking into the matter.

“There is nothing conclusive yet.”

Apart from giving the CJN a clean bill of health, Salami and other justices of the Court of Appeal were also reportedly cleared by the panel on the allegations that the members of the governorship appeal panels in Osun and Ekiti states were financially induced to give judgment in favour of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The panel was said to have concluded that there was no evidence of financial inducement in the outcome of the two appeals.

The panel, however, reportedly established evidence of conviviality between Salami and the chieftains of the ACN.

On the controversial call logs, the panel was said to have recommended that they should be further investigated by relevant security agencies to determine their relevance to the allegations against the jurists.

Only the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice could commence a perjury case against Salami if he so wishes.

The panel members are Justices Umaru Abdullahi, E.O Ayoola; D.O Edozie; M.E Akpiroroh and Hajia Rakiya S. Ibrahim.

The panel was set up on March 9, 2011 with a triple mandate, which were to establish who lied on oath between Salami and Katsina-Alu on the Sokoto governorship appeal panel, since both swore to affidavits on different versions of the saga; to establish evidence of monetary inducement in Osun and Ekiti state governorship appeal judgments and to establish if there was any relationship between the jurists and ACN in the two states.

Efforts to get Council’s spokesperson, Mr Soji Oye, proved abortive as calls made to his mobile phone did not go through.

It was learnt that council members were not allowed to see the probe report until they resumed for Wednesday’s meeting where a copy was reportedly given to each member.