AGF’s Counsel Requests Adjournment in Onnoghen’s Case, Citing Insufficient Briefing

The Court of Appeal has granted accelerated hearing on the suit filed by former Chief Justice Of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen against the Federal government, challenging the order by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, which removed him from office in 2019.

The Appellate Court granted Onnoghen’s prayers following the inability of the matter to go on, after the Counsel representing the Attorney General of the Federation Tijjani Gazalli SAN, told the Court that he is yet to be properly briefed on the matter.

Gazali said since the death of the Counsel who was in the matter before now, Aliyu Umar, no one had taken over the matter until now.

The Senior Counsel representing told the Court that he has called for the case file and has gotten a response that he will be granted access.

He therefore urged the Appeal Court for an adjournment to enable him get and go through the case file, for proper preparation in the matter.

Although Onnoghen’s Counsel,Chris Uche, SAN did not oppose the submission, he however moved for his application for accelerated hearing to be taken while withdrawing another application for the appeal to be heard on the appellants brief alone.

The Appellate Court after granting the application for accelerated hearing, adjourned to September 19, 2024 for hearing.

In the suit that was filed in 2019 at the Court of Appeal, Onnoghen is praying the Court to void and set aside the CCT judgment delivered against him, asking the Appellate Court to quash his conviction primarily on grounds of want of jurisdiction, bias, and absence of fair hearing.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), had in 2019 convicted Onnoghen in all the 6-count charges of breach of Code of Conduct for Public Officers brought against him by the Federal government while in office as CJN.