The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Friday struck out four appeals filed by ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, in relation to his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The three-man bench led by Justice Stephen Adah, in the four unanimous judgments, held that three of the appeals had become academic since the trial had been concluded by the CCT.
One of the appeal was ruled to be incompetent.
But delivering judgment on the appeal challenging the January 23, 2019 ex parte order made by the CCT for the suspension of the ex-CJN, Justice Adah, who read the lead judgment, held that the order was issued in breach of the appellant’s right to fair hearing.
President Buhari had acted on the order to suspend Onnoghen and had sworn in Justice Tanko Muhammad as the acting CJN on January 26.
Justice Adah noted that the order was not only made when the defendant had yet to be arraigned before the CCT, it was obtained in a manner “shrouded in secrecy and clandestine maneuver.
