Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has reignited his legal battle at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, seeking to overturn the judgment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) that led to his removal from office in 2019.
The case, which resumed on Tuesday, stems from Onnoghen’s conviction by the CCT on allegations of failure to declare assets.
Onnoghen is arguing that the allegations brought against him should not have resulted in his removal, asserting that the CCT lacked the jurisdiction to try him.
His legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Adegboyega Awomolo, has asked the court to void and set aside the CCT judgment, citing the tribunal’s refusal to adhere to earlier court orders that halted the trial.
The appeal also challenges the ex parte order that facilitated Onnoghen’s suspension, which was executed without him being arraigned, and claims that the CCT chairperson should have recused themselves from the case.
This appeal comes after Onnoghen’s unsuccessful attempts in 2019 to challenge his suspension and removal through multiple legal avenues.
In 2019, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) convicted Onnoghen on all six counts of breaching the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, which were brought against him by the federal government during his tenure as the head of the judiciary in the country.
In the preliminary ruling delivered by the Chairman of the CCT, Danladi Yakubu Umar, it was mandated that Onnoghen be immediately removed from his position as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
