A group, Nigerians for Rule of Law, has stormed the Lagos State Assembly to protest the suspension of the Appeal Court President, Justice Ayo Salami by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The group, in a letter to the Senate President David Mark, signed by its national convener, Comrade Declan Ihekaire, presented to the Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, described the NJC’s action as illegal and constitutional.
The group referred to section 292(i) of the constitution, which states that the President of the Court of Appeal, can only be removed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria based on the advice of recommendation of two-thirds of the Senate.
It noted that there was a pending suit instituted by Justice Salami challenging the outcome of the NJC’s probe panel, and condemned the attitude of the NJC members who took the illegal and unconstitutional decision of suspending Salami, after having been served with the court processes of the suit instituted by Salami challenging the recommendations of the panels in the dispute between him and the CJN, Justice Alloysius Katsina-Alu.
“We, thus, state that the action and decision of the NJC to suspend Salami can rightly be described as ‘judicial gangsterism and recklessness’ as same is biased and calculated attempt to usurp the powers of the court clearly vested by section 6 of the constitution to intervene and correct and error made by the NJC against Salami which has given rise to a course of action of action as provided in the constitution
“It is pathetic to note that the body saddled with the responsibility of upholding the rule of law and protecting the sanctity of the judiciary is now flouting and disobeying the same law with reckless abandonment,” the letter read in part.
The group, however, demanded President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately recall Justice Ayo Salami within 48 hours, and stated that if he failed to comply, it would mobilise Nigerians for mass civil unrest nationwide.
The group displayed placards which: NJC, Leave Salami Alone; Nigerians Say No Ayo Salami’s Removal; Goodluck, You Are Not Fair, among others.
In his response, Ikuforiji told the protesters that the lawmakers at their plenary session of Monday condemned the action by a few members of the cabal in the NJC. He also told them that the House passed a message to Jonathan no to support illegality and that it was wrong for him to abandon the people who put him in power and side with a small team of selfish judges.