10th May, 2012
Felix Nnamdi/ Abuja
Nine months after he was removed from his duty post, the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, is set to return to office as the National Judicial Council, NJC, has recommended his reinstatement to President Goodluck Jonathan.
An impeccable source who attended the two-day Council meeting of the NJC held in Abuja, told P.M News late Thursday evening that the council recommended to the President to reinstate Justice Salami.
The NJC had last August suspended Justice Ayo Salami for refusing to apologize to the council and the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu after a panel of the council found him to have lied against the CJN.
The Council then recommended his forceful retirement to the President who consequently approved the suspension and appointed Justice Dahiru Adamu as the Acting President of the Court of Appeal.
The NJC had in a statement signed by the council’s Director of Administration, Eugene Odukwu directed Salami to hand over to the next most senior justice of the Appeal Court.
Salami’s retirement threw the nation’s judiciary into series of crisis which eroded the integrity of the judiciary.
The embattled jurist dragged the NJC to court over the decision. This gave rise to an unprecedented revelation and exposure of the high level corruption rocking the nation’s judicial system.
The council however did not make any reference to the suit filed by Salami at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging his ouster.
He dragged the National judicial Council to court and made the following co defendants in the matter; Hon. Justice Dahiru Musdapher, Hon. Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, Hon. Justice Umaru Abdullahi, Hon. Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, Hon. Justice Dominic Edozie, Hon. Justice Michael Akpiroroh, Mrs. Rakia Sarki Ibrahim, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Ndahi Auta, Hon. Justice Kate Abiri, and Hon. Justice Peter Umeadi.
Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria, namely Chief Akin Olujinmi, Rickey Tarfa, Chief Adeniyi Akintola filed the case on behalf of Justice Salami.