Buhari sacked me because I met with Atiku in Dubai – Former CJN, Onnoghen

The Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen has revealed why he was relieved of his position by  President Muhammadu Buhari.

In 2019, the Former Chief Justice of Nigeria was sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari, unceremoniously.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday, March 19 at a book launch, The former CJN defended himself saying he was sacked by the President due to rumors that he met with Atiku Abubakar, a former presidential aspirant, in Dubai.

The former CJN said he decided to pay a deaf ear to the rumors because he never traveled to Dubai or held any meeting with anybody, including Atiku as claimed in the rumors.

Onnoghen, however, said he was surprised that the Buhari government despite all the machinery at its disposal to investigate the allegation, never did so but opted to unlawfully remove him from office.

According to him, the situation became messy when all of a sudden, his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal was arranged, even when he had not been invited or accused of any wrongdoing. He also lamented that democracy was dead in Nigeria without courageous judges.

In his words: “Prior to my suspension, I was confronted with no allegation. There were rumors that I met with Atiku in Dubai. As I am talking here today, I have never met Atiku one on one in my life. As if that was not enough, I was also accused of setting free, high-profile criminals, whereas I seized to be a High Court Judge as far back as 1978,” 

“In Supreme Court, I did not sit alone. we sit in the panel. In all these rumors and outright accusations, I was not given the opportunity to defend myself.

“Let me make it clear that the office of the CJN was not for Onnoghen but for all Nigerians who had sworn to guide and protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“To say the least, the period of my ordeal was the darkest era in the history of the Nigerian judiciary. As I have severally, Judicial officers must be courageous. And I want to beg all serving judicial officers not to be discouraged by what happened to me in the hand of the Executive arm of the government.”

“Emerging Nigerian judges should not go the direction of injustice because, without courageous judges and justice, Nigeria is doomed. Here, let me sound this note of warning that the appointment of judicial officers must never be allowed to be politicized, otherwise, democracy and democratic governance will be dead.

“During my tenure, the problem of Nigeria was not the Nigerian judiciary, but those who had no regard for the rule of law. We must therefore be committed to the rule of law and dispense justice without fear or favor.

“Truth stands, crush it, it will stand because it is truth,