Assets Declaration: FG Snubs Suits Against Onnoghen’s Trial …As Court Re-Activates Order Stopping Arraignment At CCT

The Federal Government, yesterday, shunned two separate suits seeking to abort the scheduled arraignment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in Abuja, following his alleged failure to declare his assets.
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had last Monday, okayed the suits marked FHC/ABJ/CS/27/2019 and FHC/ABJ/CS/28/2019, for hearing.
The suits were lodged by the incorporated Trustees of the Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative, and the Incorporated Trustees of the International Association of Students Economists and Management, respectively.
The groups had approached the high court to challenge the legal propriety of the six-count criminal charge that FG entered against Justice Onnoghen before the CCT.
On the strength of an ex-parte motion that was filed by the groups, the high court, ordered FG to suspend every move to dock the CJN over the charge before the tribunal, pending the determination of the suits.
The court in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Evelyn Maha, specifically directed all the parties in the matter to maintain the status quo until all the legal issues that were raised in the suits, are resolved. Justice Maha equally directed the plaintiffs to serve all the relevant processes, as well as hearing notices, on all the Defendants in the matter.
Whereas the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, Chairman of the CCT, Danladi Umar, the National Judicial Council, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, and the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, were cited as defendants in the first suit, listed as Defendants in the second suit were the AGF, the CCT, the CCB, the Chairman of CCT, and the Inspector-General of Police.
Meanwhile, at resumed proceedings on the two cases yesterday, none of the defendants, apart from the NJC, was represented in court. Following a query from the Judge, counsel to the 1st Plaintiff, Mr Lawal Rabana, SAN, notified the court that all the defendants, except the Senate President, were duly served with both the processes and the enrolled interim order of the court stopping the planned arraignment. He however applied for a short date to enable his client to effect service of the processes on Saraki, “in the interest of justice”. The NJC which was represented by Dr. Garba Tetengi, SAN, confirmed that it was duly served with all the processes, saying it was not opposed to the Plaintiff’s request for adjournment. Before she adjourned the case to January 28, Justice Maha ordered fresh service of the court summons on all the defendants, even as she directed the plaintiffs to include the date of service in the proof of service that will be filed before the court. Besides, the court re-activated the restraining order it issued against Onnoghen’s trial, warning that none of the parties should take any step in the matter pending the determination of the originating summons before it.