Group petitions NJC alleged Supreme Court judge’s attempt to influence Ibru case

Telegraphng.com
A justice advocacy group, Access to Justice, has petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) over claims by retired Justice Okechukwu Okeke that a Supreme Court judge attempted to influence the outcome of a case he presided over last March.
Mr. Okeke, who retired last month, stated during a valedictory court session in his honour that Clara Ogunbiyi, the Supreme Court judge, extrajudicially attempted to influence how he determined certain proceedings that were pending before him.
The case in question, according to Mr. Okeke, was a suit filed by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in respect of certain properties forfeited by the convicted former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank, Cecilia Ibru.The application was argued on March 1st and the judge ruled in AMCON’s favour.
The retired judge said that a daughter of the Supreme Court judge, Funke Ogunbiyi, purportedly acting on her mother’s orders, visited his chambers and asked him to vacate the order, a directive he ignored.In a statement on Sunday, the advocacy group urged the NJC to investigate the incident.
“These allegations by Hon. Justice O. Okeke (rtd.) were made in the presence of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice Auta, who was also mentioned in the reported sequence of events involving the named Supreme Court Justice,” read the statement, signed by Joseph Otteh, Director, Access to Justice.
“These allegations raise very troubling concerns for the independence and integrity of the administration of justice in Nigeria and need to be thoroughly, promptly and credibly investigated,” it added.
Mr. Okeke had further said that his refusal to obey the alleged directive of the Supreme Court judge led to her daughter and her lawyers writing a petition against him to the NJC.
The petition earned him a “serious warning” from the NJC in a letter dated May 6th, telling him to desist from acts prejudicial to the judiciary’s integrity.
Access to Justice likened the allegations to a similar incident in the past involving a sitting President of the Court of Appeal and an incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“The events which followed thereafter brought considerable embarrassment and ridicule to the Nigerian Judiciary from which it is yet to recover,” Mr. Otteh said.
“We acknowledge your efforts as Chief Justice of Nigeria to reform the administration of justice landscape, hold Judges accountable for their conduct and rebuild public confidence in the judiciary and salute this commitment.
“We bring this petition also because of our civic responsibility to help you succeed in the daunting task of transforming public perceptions of the Judiciary by strengthening the independence and integrity of justice delivery in Nigeria,” Mr. Otteh added.
The group also urged the NJC to investigate whether Mrs. Ogunbiyi sent her daughter to Mr. Okeke to discuss a matter pending in his court.
“It would also be necessary to investigate whether indeed she (Mrs. Ogunbiyi) initiated telephone conversation with the Hon. Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to express ‘fury’ over the ruling of Hon. Justice Okeke in a pending proceeding, and whether this prompted the aforesaid Chief Judge to put a call through to Justice Okeke to convey Justice Ogunbiyi’s alleged remonstrations against the Order to the Judge,” the statement said.