By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Oduduwa Descendants Coalition for Justice has dragged Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of the Nigerian Supreme Court through the Code of Conduct Bureau and Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged non-declaration and false declaration in the forms she submitted to the anti-graft body at various times.
The group in a petition dated the 10th of August, 2024 and signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Kehinde Johnson Olawale, alleged that as a Judicial officer, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun failed or refused to abide by the provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, which has been in force since 1991.
It noted that for example, in May 1999, at the end of her tenure as Chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Ikeja Zone ll Lagos, Justice Kekere-Ekun failed to submit her assets declaration.
In the petition, Olawale equally also alleged that in 2013, at the end of her tenure as a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Kekere-Ekun failed to submit her assets declaration form, adding that the “assets declaration form she eventually filled and submitted upon assumption of office as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria contained false declarations and unverified statements”.
The petitioner further said that report of the the anti-graft agency on the investigation will assist the National Judicial Council and the Senate of the Nigerian National Assembly to come to a balanced decision as to the suitability of Justice Kekere-Ekun for appointment as Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The petition which was received by the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau on August 12, 2024, was copied the
Chairman of the National Judicial Commission, Senate President and Attorney General of the Federation.
When contacted, a staff of the Intelligence, Investigation and Monitoring Department of the anti-graft agency who pleaded anonymity, said that the usual practice was that the Chairman of the Bureau would request the public officer against whom the petition was written to offer an explanation in writing in response to the allegations contained in the petition.
The staff explained that; “If there is no infraction of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, the petition will be dismissed, but, if after investigation a prima facie case is established, the matter will be referred to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for prosecution of the accused”.
He referred to the similar case of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was investigated and prosecuted by the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Sourced from Nivonews/opr.news