CJN visits Buhari, says anti-graft war not losing steam

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, yesterday met behind closed-doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Fielding questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, the CJN said the anti-graft war was not losing steam despite major corruption cases recently lost by the Federal Government.

Onnoghen, however, parried a question on the alleged “gang-up” by the judiciary against Buhari’s administration, saying the system was designed in such a way that anyone who loses at a lower court can appeal.

He said, “The fight against corruption has lost no steam. It is not correct. Now, you should know one thing: two people will always have a quarrel. All the parties to that quarrel will always have different stories to tell. By the way our system is fashioned and designed and operated, when you go to a court of law, you cannot have a drawn game. There must be a winner and there must be a loser. In our system, a loser has the chance of appealing to the highest court eventually.

“So, you cannot say because the government or any agency has lost a case in the high court, you have lost a case and the fight is losing steam. You should realize that there is a constitution in place and under the constitution, there is a rule of law. So, every system under a constitutional arrangement operated under the rule of law must have these things as checks and balances to protect everyone. It is for everyone.”

The Federal Government had, in the last one week, lost four major corruption cases.