9th February, 2011
The National Judicial Council on Wednesday in Abuja jettisoned its earlier recommendation for the promotion of Justice Ayo Isa Salami, the President of Court of Appeal, to the Supreme Court.
The Council met in an emergency session following revelations by Justice Salami that Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Kastina-Alu, who is also the Chairman of the Council acted in bad faith in engineering the unsolicited promotion to the apex court.
Justice Salami had alleged in an affidavit deposed to by himself in support of the suit he filled against the CJN, the NJC and the Federal Judicial Service Commission over his elevation to the apex court, that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Kastina-Alu, asked him to compromise the Sokoto Governorship Election Appeal Panel.
However, in stopping the promotion of Justice Salami to the apex court, the Council shied away from investigating the weighty allegation raised by Justice Salami against the Chief Justice of Nigeria. Instead the Council constituted a committee to reconcile both Kastina-Alu and Salami.
The Secretary of the NJC, Mr. Danladi Halidu and the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr. Sunday Olorundahunsi were not available for comment on the details of the emergency meeting.
Mr. Sunday Olorundahunsi was said to have travelled out of the country while the Deputy Chief Registrar 1, Hajo Bello Saraki  declined comment claiming that she was in a meeting inside her office.
The emergency meeting was called following altercation between Salami and Kastina-Alu which had thrown the judiciary into an unprecedented embarrassment in the nation history
A source who was at the meeting told P.M. News that the council decided to drop the proposed promotion of Justice Salami to the Supreme Court because he had rejected it.
By Nnamdi Felix / Abuja
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