Pressure mounts on Nigeria's top judge to resign

PANA

16 February 2011

Pressure mounts on Nigeria's top judge to resign

A day after two newspapers asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, to resign over allegations that he tried to compromise justice in an election petition case, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has joined the call, increasing the pressure on the CJN. ASUU President Ukachukwu Awuzie said in the capital city of Abuja Monday that if the CJN refuses to resign, President Goodluck Jonathan should advise him to step down or take steps to remove him from office.

If all the efforts fail, the ASUU President said, then the civil society, organised labour and others will embark on a sustained nationwide protest to force the CJN out.

Trouble started for the top judge when he tried to push for the 'promotion' of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, to the apex Supreme Court.

Critics of the move said it was a ploy to remove Salami, perceived as courageous, from the Appeal Court, which has the final say in election petition matters except that of the presidential election.

They alleged the CJN was acting in collusion with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which recently lost two states to the main opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on the basis of the ruling of the Appeal Court

Justice Salami did not only reject the promotion but said the CJN was moving against him because he refused to compromise justice, as demanded by the top judge, in an election petition case in northern Sokoto state.

Ruling in that case has been delayed by the intervention of the Supreme Court, even though the apex court should not have, going by the Nigerian Constitution