Sacked judge loses again

The presiding judge, Justice Abubakar Abdulka-dir Jega, while striking out the appeal held that the appeal was incompetent as it could not be remedied.Adeniji had earlier dismissed as a white lie, an allegation, that a litigant, Dr. U.B. Uba, offered him N12 million bribe before entering judgment on February 26, 2004, in his favour in […]

The presiding judge, Justice Abubakar Abdulka-dir Jega, while striking out the appeal held that the appeal was incompetent as it could not be remedied.
Adeniji had earlier dismissed as a white lie, an allegation, that a litigant, Dr. U.B. Uba, offered him N12 million bribe before entering judgment on February 26, 2004, in his favour in a controversial election dispute.
The former justice of the Court of Appeal made the denial from the witness box of a Federal High Court, Abuja, while challenging the constitutional powers of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to try him over criminal allegation of corruption.
Trouble started for Adeniji at the Anambra South Senatorial Election Tribunal, which looked into the grievances of a contestant Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu against the election of Dr. Ugochukwu Uba. The tribunal found for Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu against Dr. Ugochukwu Uba. Dr. Uba appealed to the Court of Appeal.
“Meanwhile, Uba had been sworn in as a Senator. The matter came before the CA made up of three justices,- Justice Okwuchukwu Opene, Justice David Adedoyin Adeniji and  Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs, who disagreed among themselves.
Two of the justices – Opene and David Adedoyin Adeniji – gave judgment to Dr. Ugochukwu Uba and the third justice, Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs, the youngest of them disagreed and dissented and gave judgment to Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu.
After the appeal, the NJC received petitions that two of the three justices took bribe. The NJC, established under Section 153 of the Constitution, set up a committee headed by late Justice Kolawole, a retired justice of the CA.
Consequently, the NJC recommended to then president Olusegun Obasanjo that the duo were guilty of corruption and abuse of office and that they should be sacked as justices of the CA. On the 3rd of May, 2005, Obasanjo acting under Section 292 of the Constitution dismissed the duo from the Judicial Bench of Nigeria.
Dissatisfied, Adeniji filed a suit against the dismissal at the Federal High Court, Abuja which he lost. Unhappy, he appealed to the CA which struck out his appeal as being incompetent.