Cross River Lawmakers Worried Over Buhari’s Refusal To Confirm Justice Onnoghen As Chief Judge of Nigeria

Worried over the delay in transmitting the name of Justice Samuel Walter Onnoghen to the Senate for co formation as Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, the Cross River State National Assembly Caucus has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency send the name.

According to the Senators and Members of House of Representatives from Cross River State, the continuous delay of President Buhari to forward the name to the Senate for screening and subsequent confirmation without any lawful and constitutional cause has brought the issue of the independence of the judiciary and security of tenure of judges to doubt and public discourse.

Addressing Journalists Tuesday on behalf of the eleven members of the caucus, Senator John Enoh, PDP, Cross River Central explained that the appointment of Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria has become imperative against the backdrop that succession to the position has been based on merit and seniority, adding that the established order and convention has imbued the judiciary with a measure of stability and positioned it to play the critical role of dispensing justice immune to it undue influence of powerful vested interests.