CJN directs JSC to sanction FCT Judge

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Chairman, National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Tanko Mohammed, has ordered the Judicial Service Committee (JSC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to urgently commence disciplinary action against the Judge of an Upper Area Court in the FCT for issuing direct Criminal Summons against the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the Anambra election, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

An Upper Area Court in Abuja, presided by Gambo Garba, had issued a direct Criminal Summons against Soludo in July 2021 over perjury, corruption and false assets declaration. The order was made at a time several political actors in Anambra State were deploying all political instruments to frustrate Soludo from picking the APGA governorship ticket for the Anambra election. Some other political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were also involved in similar ‘spoiler games’. Judgements of the courts, hypothetically, became commodities that politicians can purchase at will, even outside known jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, the direct Criminal Summons against Soludo issued by the Upper Area Court in Abuja has been declared  an action that is completely outside the jurisdiction of the Upper Court.

The Abuja Upper Area Court had in issuing the order explained that the criminal summons against Soludo was for alleged serial abuse of office and breach of Code of Conduct for public officers when he was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria between 29 May 2004 – 29 May 2009.

However, the CJN in a seeming judicial review ordered the Judicial Service Committee in the FCT which chairman is the Acting Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Husseini Yusuf-Baba, to commence disciplinary action against Gambo Garba.

The public affairs manager of the NJC, Soji Oye, acknowledging the directive of the CJN, disclosed that the acting Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory has the mandate to submit the report of his findings to the CJN within 21 days.

Justice Tanko Mohammed had a fortnight ago summoned the Chief Judges of Rivers, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Anambra, Imo states, and the FCT, instructing them to caution the judges in their jurisdictions on the danger of granting ex parte injunctions, particularly, restraining orders and counter-orders [to politicians].