The National Judicial Council has recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari the compulsory retirement of Justice Adetokunbo Ademola and Justice O. O. Tokode both of the Federal High Court for misconduct from the Bench.
According to NJC’s Director of Information, Soji Oye yesterday, Justice Ademola, who had forwarded his notice of retirement on 10th October, 2017 to the Council against 9th April, 2018, when he will attain the mandatory retirement age of 65 years was recommended for compulsory retirement from office to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, pursuant to the findings by the Council on the allegation contained in the petition written against His Lordship by a group of 8 persons under the name of Committee of Anambra State PDP House of Representatives Members-Elect alleging that His Lordship heard their Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2015 which was adjourned for judgement on 25th March, 2015;
The added that on the adjourned date, His Lordship did not deliver the judgement but adjourned the case sine die, to await the decision of the Supreme Court on another matter on the same issue, on is the list of PDP candidates for Anambra State for the General Elections of 2015;
That His Lordship speedily heard and delivered judgement in another case in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2015 filed later on the same issues, with intent to confer undue advantage on the Plaintiff who is from a family with which the Respondent has relationship;
“That the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement ultimately given to the petitioners contained a paragraph that was not read in open Court by the Hon. Judge and that a phrase was altered, all to address an issue raised in the appeal that had already been filed by the Petitioner before the issuance of Certified True Copy (C T C); “That some of the reasoning and conclusions of the Hon. Judge were summersaults;
“That the Respondent finally delivered judgment in the case on 8th July, 2016, five (5) months after the Supreme Court delivered the judgment he was awaiting contrary to the Constitutional provisions that judgments should be delivered within a period of 90 days”.
He said though the Petitioners withdrew their petitions in accordance with to Regulation 16 of the National Judicial Council Judicial Discipline Regulations of 9th March, 2017, Council viewed His Lordship’s action of non-delivery of judgment within the stipulated time as misconduct contrary to Section 292 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended and Rules 1.3 and 3.7 of the 2016 Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
