Comments on G-5 Governors: tension in Aso Rock as State Security Service interrogate CJN Ariwoola, demand immediate resignation
At least five associate judges of the Supreme Court have demanded that Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola quit immediately due to his suspected partisanship, which has also led to his questioning by the State Security Service (SSS), according to information obtained by Ejesgist.ng.
High-ranking representatives from the Supreme Court and the SSS told Ejesgist.ng that Mr. Ariwoola, who was sworn in as chief justice on October 12, has been asked to resign as a result of his remarks praising the participation of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in the so-called “Integrity Group,” which was formed by Nyesom Wike and other enraged governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to
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At a celebration honoring Mr. Wike’s accomplishments in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, Mr. Ariwoola expressed his happiness that the governor of Oyo State had joined the coalition that also included the governors of Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Enugu, as well as Samuel Ortom of Benue. Following the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate, the so-called G5 is calling for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, the national chairman of the party. Disgruntled governors struck a deal that called for Mr. Ayu to resign as party chairman in the event that a northerner won the 2023 election.
Both Mr. Ayu and Mr. Abubakar, a northerner who won the party’s presidential nomination at its convention on May 28, denied that such an agreement had ever taken place, and Mr. Wike and his ally governors have yet to provide any proof of such a backdoor agreement before or even after the May primary elections.
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The crisis has persisted in undermining the main opposition’s plans for 2023, and Mr. Wike has come in for mockery for raising it since he felt his initial loss to Mr. Abubakar was an embarrassing defeat.
In his remarks at the dinner last week that was sponsored by the Rivers governor, Nigeria’s Chief Justice, who is in charge of the country’s judicial system, sided with Mr. Wike on the issue..
“That is why we should not be scared to have these men of the Integrity Group, and I am happy that my own governor (Makinde) is among them because he would try to imitate his friend and in-law because we came here to marry for my governor,” Mr Ariwoola said.
The Supreme Court, in a statement by its spokesperson, Festus Akande, quickly denied Mr Ariwoola’s utterances as fake news, saying: “We don’t also know at what point the CJN said he was happy that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was a member of the now christened ‘Integrity Group’ or “G5 Governors.’”
But a video quickly emerged from the event that further stoked the collective outrage of Nigerians, who said the Chief Justice’s comments had all but diminished the independence of the judiciary.
Critics, including the PDP, northern groups, the SSS, and justices, described the utterances as capable of further dividing the major opposition party, threatening the country’s democracy and eroding Nigerians’ confidence in the judiciary.
They argued that the utterances contradicted Rule 1(5) of the Judicial Code of Conduct, which states that: “A judge must avoid social relationships that are improper.” The rule also said judges should avoid conducts that “may cast doubt on the ability of a judicial officer to decide cases impartially.”
Justices are concerned that Mr Ariwoola’s conduct was an explicit bias that could complicate his ability to impartially assign judges to cases without being second-guessed. It was unclear how the crisis in the PDP would end, but political observers feared it might end up at the Supreme Court, especially as Mr Wike had already instituted a lawsuit against Mr Abubakar’s victory.
An SSS source privy to the matter told Ejesgist.ng that Mr Ariwoola was grilled and warned to resign “because it (the partisan political grandstanding) might get dirty for him.
The SSS source said Mr Ariwoola “refused to step down.” But this did not stop his associate justices from pressing on with demands for him to stand down to save the judiciary from further reputational damage.
A top official at the Supreme Court said that five jurists expressed their displeasure at Mr Ariwoola for frolicking with politicians and asked him to step down.
Should the CJN fail to resign voluntarily, the justices threatened to communicate their positions through a letter in the same manner that they accused his predecessor Ibrahim Tanko of being corrupt and irresponsible before successfully ousting him from office. The verbal firework has lingered around the halls of the country’s top court since last week, Ejesgist.ng was told.
“Even as a joke, it was an expensive one that should have cost him his office,” a Supreme Court official said under anonymity for want of permission to discuss internal deliberations. “So other judges will know the office is not for comedians but for people who are serious.”
Mr Wike, who has over the years reportedly bragged about his influence over the judiciary across the country, was also alleged to have been bribing judges following his rapport with the judicial officers.
“We already have information that Wike has been bribing judges, so they will make an example of him. So other judges will be careful of getting involved in political activities,” the Supreme Court source said.
The governor did not immediately respond to requests seeking his comments on whether or not his public affinity with the chief justice augurs perils to the Nigerian judiciary.
Mr Wike had, in 2020, while distributing Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to judges in the state judiciary, criticised judicial officers involved in partisan politics.
“Adjudication and politics are incompatible extremes; hence, no judge can be both and legitimately claim to be an independent and impartial adjudicator,” the governor had said.
He added, “Heads of the country’s judicial system should positively address the identifiable weaknesses and processes that have continued to create room for judicial corruption.”
For three days, two spokespersons for the Supreme Court did not return The Gazette’s request for comments. One of them who promised to call back failed to do so as of Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesman for the SSS declined comments
