Court of Appeal
The Society for Rule of Law in Nigeria (SRLN) a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has called on the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Salami, to resign over his claim that he does not trust some of his colleagues in the Court of Appeal to put them on the election appeal tribunals.
Reacting to comments made by Justice Salami on why only few judges sat on the election appeal tribunals out of over 60 judges, the SRLN said it was unfortunate that the president of the court does not trust majority of his colleagues yet he had refused to ask for their removal.
Justice Salami, was said to have raised the issue of using a few justices to determine appeals.
“Well, when it comes to that you must use people you trust, you can’t just empanel anybody, he was quoted as saying.’’
The group, in a statement by its Coordinator, Comrade ChimaUbeku, said the president, by trusting only nine judges out of 61, has shown that Nigerians should no longer put their confidence in the judiciary and that this statement has cast aspersion on the integrity of judges in the Court of Appeal.
The Nigerian Bar Association had said last week that it could not vouch for the integrity of the nation's Court of Appeal bench, vowing to investigate the recent allegation by Senator IyiolaOmisore that the Action Congress of Nigeria paid N5billion as bribe for the judgment that ousted former Osun State Governor OlagunsoyeOyinlola from office.
‘’If the president of the Court of Appeal does not trust most of his colleagues as to empanel them in the election petition cases, what is the fate of the common man who regards the judiciary as the last hope’’ SRLN said, adding that the statement has indeed confirmed that the president has a ‘cabal’ or a ‘hatchet’ team that has been used to deliver ludicrous judgements that has made mess of precedence and established judicial decision.
The group also called on Justice Salami to explain his three hour secret meeting with Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. KayodeFayemi last week. If the visit was official , why was it kept out of public glare.?