The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, has ordered the disciplinary action against a judge for criminal summons on the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.
Justice Gambo Garba of an Upper Area Court had on July 15 directed Soludo, to appear on August 23 to answer charges bordering on alleged perjury and breach of Code of Conduct during his tenure as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) between May 29, 2004, and May 29, 2009.
Although criminal trial bordering on false declaration of assets is exclusively vested in the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), the upper area court judge assumed jurisdiction contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
A source said the acting Chief Judge of the FCT High Court and chairman of the FCT Judicial Service Committee, Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf, would chair the disciplinary committee against the judge.
The CJN had on September 6 quizzed chief judges of FCT, Rivers, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Anambra and Imo states where he cautioned against the issuance of ex parte orders in political matters.
The FCT High Court acting CJ is expected to submit the report of the committee’s findings within 21 days.
