Senate to Reconvene Tuesday over Onnoghen’s Suspension

Senate to Reconvene Tuesday over Onnoghen’s Suspension

The Senate will reconvene on Tuesday to discuss the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

A source who spoke to ChannelsTV confirmed that the National Assembly would hold a leadership meeting on Sunday over the matter.

The Lawmakers had during Thursday’s plenary adjourned sitting until February 19, after the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

But the decision to reconvene next week followed the shocking suspension of Justice Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.

The President had thereafter appointed and sworn in Justice Tanko Mohammed as acting CJN.

Buhari, in an address to the nation, explained that decision to suspend Justice Onnoghen was at the request of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over allegations that he failed to declare his assets.

The suspension sparked mixed reactions from individuals and groups within and outside the country, with Senate President Bukola Saraki describing it as a “coup against democracy”, saying the President’s action was an over-reach of the powers in the Executive arm of government.

Also, the European Union has raised concern with Justice Onnoghen’s suspension and questioned the process and timing of the decision to suspend him.

Similarly, the United Kingdom said Onnoghen’s suspension, just before the swearing in of tribunal members, gave it a serious ‘cause for worry’ about the credibility of the polls.