Clark warns president Buhari against rejecting Onnoghen resignation
Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja
Lawyer and public commentator, Chief Robert Clarke (SAN), has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against rejecting the resignation of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
Speaking on the development on national television on Monday, Clark blamed Onnoghen for his present predicament, adding that a petition by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should have warranted Onnoghen’s resignation since February.
The senior lawyer further noted that President Buhari’s government should be given credit for taking the head of the judiciary to a tribunal, but warned that a rejection of Onnoghen’s resignation will “create heat wave in Nigeria politics.”
He said further that “the government has knowledge of many things which you and I don’t have, so if the government decided to go and take the head of the judiciary to a tribunal, give them credit that they know what they were doing.
“What has created the situation that he (Onnoghen) has found himself today, is the petition written by the EFCC. That petition, he had a copy of it in February.
As at February, the chief justice was aware of those charges levelled against him; at that stage when he got the EFCC’s petition, he should have resigned.
“The politicizing of the situation stopped Onnoghen from doing the needful at the time. Let me be honest with you, we should not allow the politics or the political climate to be overheated.
I will advise Buhari to accept the resignation because if he does not do so, he is creating another heatwave in the politics of the country.”
Daily Times recalls that the lawyer to Justice Onnoghen, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), disclosed that his client took the decision to resign in the interest of the judiciary.
Onnoghen’s resignation is coming four months after he was charged with non-declaration of assets that government critics said was politically motivated.
Onnoghen has since appeared before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which rules on alleged breaches of ethics involving public officials.
The embattled judge denied the charges and this week closed his defence at the tribunal after calling one witness. Final submissions are due on April 25.
