Onnoghen’s lawyer confirms resignation of suspended CJN

The lawyer to the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) on Friday confirmed the resignation of his client.

According him, Onnoghen resigned in the interest of the judiciary.

“I have just spoken with him. He confirmed to me that he resigned yesterday. He said he resigned in the interest of the Judiciary,” Awomolo explained.

As head of the Supreme Court, Onnoghen could have ruled on any disputes relating to the election, which saw Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), win a second term of office.

Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a legal challenge to the result, after calling the election a “sham”.



Onnoghen’s resignation came a day after the regulatory body for judges, the National Judicial Council (NJC), recommended he should be compulsorily retired from service.

Onnoghen was charged with failing to declare foreign currency bank accounts, in contravention of rules governing declaration of assets for public officials.

Buhari then suspended and replaced him, prompting accusations of executive over-reach and even an attempted “coup” against the judiciary. Lawyers protested on the streets.

A request to remove the chief justice normally has to be approved with a two-thirds majority in the Senate.