*Says rumours malicious attempt to tarnish image of Supreme Court, CJN
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
A prominent legal practitioner, Barrister Ahmed Raji (SAN) has described as fake, news report by an online media that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kayode Ariwoola was sighted at the United Kingdom in a wheelchair, purportedly in a meeting with the President-elect of Nigeria,
Barrister Raji (SAN) in a statement on Friday, warned politicians in the country to stop painting the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kayode Ariwoola and the judiciary in bad light for their personal interests over the 2023 elections.
He emphasized that the online media report that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kayode Ariwoola was sighted at the United Kingdom in a wheelchair, purportedly in a meeting with the President-elect of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ” is false and aimed at tarnishing the image of the apex court.'”
He emphasized that, ” Justice Ariwoola went to London on Saturday for his routine medical check-up and returned to Nigeria on Thursday morning”
The legal luminary stressed that the said report was ” another malicious attempt by some individuals to tarnish the image of the Supreme Court and the CJN after they have made attempts at attaching his name to some political parties in order to preempt outcomes of the legal tussles before the apex court”.
“It is in the news since Tuesday evening that Tinubu was traveling to Europe for medical reasons as well as for lesser hajj, further reports indicated that he is in France to meet with his medical doctor, why would somebody now link that to the CJN that has left Nigeria for UK since Saturday to observe his own medical session and just came back today (Thursday) as meeting? he said.
Barrister Raji added, “our politicians need to allow due process take control, election matters are in the law courts, that does not mean that the law Lords will not live their normal lives as human beings, Tinubu is in France and the CJN was at London, where is the contact?, he asked”
He tasked Nigerians not to be hoodwinked by politicians to paint the judiciary in bad color, so as to achieve their personal interests, as far as the 2023 election is concerned”
