In a continuing saga surrounding the suspension of Osun State Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo, Governor Ademola Adeleke has denied appointing an acting CJ to replace Justice Ojo, adding a layer of confusion to the unfolding events.
Last Thursday, the State House of Assembly requested Justice Ojo to step aside pending an investigation into petitions against her.
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Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, initially announced the appointment of Justice Olayinka Afolabi as the acting CJ, with the swearing-in ceremony planned for the following day.
Rasheed said,
“Governor Ademola Adeleke has appointed Justice Olayinka David Afolabi as the acting Chief Judge of Osun state with immediate effect following the approval of the resolution of the House of Assembly.”
In a separate announcement, Rasheed declared that Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi was scheduled to officiate the swearing-in ceremony for Afolabi on the subsequent day, Friday, given Afolabi’s seniority in the hierarchy.
However, the anticipated swearing-in did not occur, with the government citing adherence to necessary procedures.
On Sunday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, clarified that Governor Adeleke had not appointed anyone as acting Chief Judge. Alimi stated that Adeleke had informed the Chief Justice of Nigeria about the ongoing investigation and recommended the appointment of an acting CJ to the National Judicial Council.
He said,
“The government of Osun State has denied news reports that Governor Ademola Adeleke has removed the Chief Judge and appointed an acting Chief Judge, clarifying that the governor had only forwarded the resolution of the House of Assembly and recommendation for an acting appointment to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for decision and action.
“With all sense of responsibility, it is important to set the records straight that Governor Adeleke has only duly notified the Chief Justice as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council in writing about the resolutions of the House of Assembly following a series of petitions made against the sitting Chief Judge of Osun State.
“In the communication, Mr Governor intimated the CJN of the recommendation of the House that the Chief Judge should step aside and include his own submission for an acting appointment to fill the vacuum while the NJC reviews and decides on the petition.
“To that end, the governor, in the same letter, recommended to the CJN, the appointment of the most senior judicial officer, Hon.Justice Olayinka Afolabi, for thorough consideration and further processing by the same NJC through the CJN.”
The commissioner emphasized that Adeleke is a proponent of due process and the rule of law, possessing a profound respect for the legal profession, the judiciary, the National Judicial Council (NJC), and the constitution of the country.
“We assure the public that Mr Governor is fully aware of the limit of his powers as well as the responsibilities of the various agencies of government and will, therefore, not act in any way to violate the constitution and rule of law,” Alimi said.
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The unfolding drama took a political turn on Sunday, with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) engaging in a war of words. The Osun APC, through its chairman Tajudeen Lawal, criticized the governor, accusing him of being uninformed about constitutional provisions.
“When the blind leads the blind, the fall of all of them will be catastrophic which is what is being witnessed in Osun State today.
“The haphazard handling of the CJ’s suspension by the Osun State lawmakers further confirms the allegation by the public that nothing beneficial to the citizenry can evolve from the Assembly, which 16 of its members are alleged to be Yahoo chieftains?
“One is safe to conclude that the House of Assembly under the speakership of Wale Egbedun has an image problem to contend with before the members of the public can take them seriously that they are not the suckers and lapdogs of Governor Adeleke.”
In response, the Osun PDP, represented by its chairman Sunday Bisi, expressed support for Governor Adeleke and the House of Assembly, praising the governor’s competence and patriotism in handling state matters.
“In the case of issues around the Chief Judge, Governor Adeleke has done the right thing by communicating the development to the National Judicial Council for action. The NJC had received the governor’s letter since last Thursday, putting paid to all ambiguities and misinformation.
“The sign of a good leader is the capacity to set records straight in cases of misinformation. This is what Mr Governor has done. The state PDP reaffirmed its confidence in the leadership style of the state governor and that of the state Assembly, chiding the state APC for lacking a deeper understanding of the dynamics of governance,” Bisi said.
Meanwhile, Adeleke’s spokesperson rejected the assertion that the Chief Judge’s challenges originated from her ruling in the murder case involving a Master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke. This ruling resulted in a death sentence for the owner of Hilton hotels, Ile-Ife, Ramon Adedoyin.
The spokesman said
“What is more, throughout the trial, Adedoyin’s legal team was manned by prominent APC lawyers from the beginning to the end. No single PDP lawyer was involved with the Adedoyin team.
“We affirm that the crisis rocking the state judiciary has to do with a series of petitions from judicial officials on alleged misconduct of the Chief Judge. On each occasion, those petitions always ended up unprocessed over deliberate blackmail with the Adedoyin matter until recent action by the state Assembly.
“The governor’s sin is his consistent refusal to accept overtures to protect his kinswoman, the Chief Judge, from probe on alleged corruption. Mr. Governor has always maintained his ground that if as a governor he is not immune from accountability questions, why should he use his office to protect another official because of blood or town kinship?”
