…calls for his resignation

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, a.k.a Intersociety, has given Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, 48 hours to respond to the five allegations from People’s Gazette against him.

The Intersociety, in a letter jointly signed by  Board Chairman of the group, Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Democracy and Good Governance Programme, Chinwe Umeche,

 highlighted the allegations that the CJN dishonourably and dishonestly sneaked out of Nigeria to the UK in a wheelchair as a physically-challenged old man only to surface hale and hearty in the UK hotel and moved about unaided with intent to deceive Nigerians and have a clandestine meeting with INEC-declared ‘President-Elect’ (Ahmed Bola Tinubu) for the purpose of compromising the 2023 Presidential poll judicial proceedings and outcomes.

According to the group, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has 48 hours (from today, Friday, 23rd March 2023) to respond publicly and truthfully before God, man and law to these five weighty allegations against his person by The People’s Gazette.

In the letter, which was also signed by Chidinma Udegbunam, Head, Campaign and Publicity Department  and Ositadinma Agu; Head, Contacts and Mobilization Department, the society called on the CJN to voluntarily retire as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and step aside if the allegation is partially or totally true.

“If it is true that you as CJN and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria is battling with vested interests or conflict of interests regarding the pending 2023 Presidential Election Petitions owing to your widely reported affinity with INEC-declared ‘President-Elect’ (Ahmed Bola Tinubu), contrary and injurious to the principles of ‘Nemo judex in causa sua (a natural justice principle that holds that a judge cannot judge a case he or she has an interest or strongly accused of having an interest) and “Audi alteram partem” (a natural justice principle of letting the other side be heard in an unbiased manner and circumstance), you, Mr. Chief Justice of Nigeria should honorably step aside from headship of the apex Presidential Election Petitions’ tribunal and hands off your influencing and controlling authority roles in the lower (Appeal Court) and apex (Supreme Court) Tribunals including their proceedings and outcomes,” the letter read.

The highlight of the allegations as published by People’s Gazette on Thursday March 23, 2023 also include:

That Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Chief Justice of Nigeria was sighted on 11th March 2023 departing the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport and was pushed in a wheelchair as a physically challenged old man through the terminals to board a British Airways Flight”.

That Justice Ariwoola, 64 years, upon arrival in London, was also wheeled into a hotel, downtown and that immediately after checking into the hotel, abandoned the wheelchair and started moving around the facility unaided even when he is not known with any chronic physical disabilities and that he was also sighted standing alone in the elevator days after.

That Justice Ariwoola, from South-West Muslim Faith, would be meeting with Bola Tinubu, “INEC-declared ‘President-Elect’” who is now in Europe in his capacity as Supreme Court Justice and Chief Justice of Nigeria in a secret arrangement to discuss issues (officially) unknown to Nigerians and that he deliberately left the country more than a week ahead of Tinubu to avoid any suspicion about why both of them disappeared (from Nigeria) at once.

Intersociety also cited that the allegations against the CJN by the People’s Gazette were so factual and assuring that they further disclosed that they are withholding the photos of the CJN and the specific hotel he stayed so as to protect the source central to their story

It further added that People’s Gazette, a respected investigative online outfit also quoted a Supreme Court source as “disclosing that you (Mr. Justice Ariwoola/CJN) wanted to meet Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu to discuss issues that may arise from the budding legal challenge to his (Tinubu) declaration as ‘president-elect’, including whether he should be worried about the petitions recently filed by opposition parties and that you would either assure him (Tinubu) of victory in court or that he should be worried about the dimension the petitions may take through the court stages”.

It is pertinent to know that Intersociety is Nigeria’s leading and uncompromising democracy, human rights, citizens’ security and safety and rule of law advocacy Organization since 2008. 

In 2010 during the ‘Ayo Salami’ (then Court of Appeal President) and ‘Kastina Alu’ (then Chief Justice of Nigeria) scandals, it was the group’s petition to the NJC that was officially adopted for purposes of determining the authenticity of weighty allegations leveled against the then two top judicial officers bordering on Osun and Sokoto Governorship Election Petitions’ Tribunals’ bribery and interference scandals.