The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has berated the Osun State Government and its lawmakers following the suspension of the Chief Judge of the State, Oyebola Ojo.
It would be recalled that the State House of Assembly on Thursday, in defiance of an order of the National Industrial Court, ordered that Justice Ojo should step aside pending the outcome of the investigation against her, which was approved by Governor Ademola Adeleke who appointed Justice Olayinka Afolabi as the acting Chief Judge.
The NBA in a statement on Friday through its National Publicity Secretary, Akorede Lawal, said her removal was unlawful and described the action of the governor and state lawmakers as an unwarranted assault on the judiciary which was aimed at intimidating the arm of government in the state.
The statement partly read, “The NBA unequivocally condemns this unlawful action by the Osun State Government. The action of the state government is an abuse of the rule of law and a desecration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 ( as amended).
“In very vivid terms, the actions of Governor Adeleke and the Osun State House of Assembly are unwarranted assaults on the judiciary and aimed at intimidation.
“The NBA wishes to categorically state that the provisions of the 1999 Constitution are not ambiguous as to the way and manner a Chief Judge of a state could be removed from office. Certainly, a state House of Assembly resolution for a Chief Judge to ‘step aside’ s unknown to the law of our land.”
The Association also berated the Osun government for disregarding the order of the court restraining it from removing the CJ, adding that the NBA has resolved not to recognise Justice Afolabi as the acting CJ of the state and vowed to stop at nothing to ensure the decision of the state government does not stand.
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