9th June, 2019
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the voluntary retirement of Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN.
A statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) on Sunday said Buhari’s acceptance of Onnoghen’s retirement took effect from 28 May, 2019.
The President thanked Justice Onnoghen for his service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and wished him the best of retirement life.
Onnoghen had resigned his position on April 5, 2019 while being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT over false assets declaration.
Onnoghen had sent his resignation letter to Buhari barely 24 hours after the National Judicial Council concluded investigating him for various allegations of misconduct.
Onnoghen was later convicted by the CCT for breach of Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
The CCT, Chairman, Danladi Umar, in his judgment, had ordered the immediate removal of Onnoghen from office as the CJN.
The CCT stripped Onnoghen of all offices earlier occupied, such as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council and also the chairmanship of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
In the judgment, Onnoghen, will forfeit the five accounts which he failed to declare as part of his assets.
The Danladi ordered the forfeiture of the money in the five accounts which Onnoghen allegedly failed to declare to the Federal Government.
Buhari had in January, 2019 suspended Onnoghen and appointed Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed, as Acting CJN, an action that elicited lots of public criticism.