The Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER) yesterday said the stepping aside of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Aloysius Katsina-Alu as chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC) was not enough, as he could still influence the outcome of NJC’s probe of the allegation of misconduct levelled against him by Court of Appeal President, Justice Isa Salami.
It said the NJC was a party to the rift between Katsina-Alu and Salami.
CODER said any justice who had anything to do with the litigations leading to the arrested judgment of the Appeal Court on the 2007 Sokoto governorship dispute should step down from the probe panel.
In a statement by CODER’s National Coordinator, Mr Ayo Opadokun, the group said the principle of law which stipulates that no one can be a judge in his own case is definitely applicable in this instance and cannot be violated.
It said the fact that the CJN had stepped aside has not significantly fulfilled the requirement for justice and fairness because he is the official head of the NJC and the grave allegations of attempt to pervert justice are against him.
CODER said the arrangements to make Justice Dahiru Musdapher, who is Katsina-Alu’s deputy, to preside over the dispute is a total mockery of the due process requirement of law.
According to CODER, since it is a fact that Justice Musdapher was one of the justices who arrested the impending ruling of the Court of Appeal in the 2007 Sokoto Governorship election, he is already a participant in the matter and cannot be trusted to be impartial and unbiased.
“It is not difficult to understand that since the CJN is the Chief Executive of NJC, the possibility that the members of the body will be persuaded one way or the other in sympathy to the Chief Executive is real given the wide discretionary powers of the CJN on that body.
“CODER hereby demands that the composition of the NJC must be by mutual consent of the two parties in order for the newly composed panel to do justice to all concerned.
“Finally, every one of the justices who has sat in any of the litigations leading to the arrested judgment of the 2007 Sokoto Gubernatorial Appeal Tribunal should step down from the proposed panel.
“Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to have been manifestly done,” CODER said.
