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Despites being substantive since24 July 2019, Justice Tanko Muhammad, reportedly still operates from his chambers instead of his designated office.
Tanko, who became Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria since January 2019, continues to operate from ‘Chambers 1′ his old office as a justice of the Supreme Court
According to investigation conducted by PUNCH correspondent to the Tanko’s wing at the sprawling Supreme Court complex in Abuja on Thursday, and discovered the place had been deserted since Justice Muhammad assumed office as the acting CJN on January 25, 2019.
After the controversial suspension of the immediate former CJN, Justice Walter Onneghen, President Buhari swore in Justice Muhammad as the acting CJN on the same day following an ex parte order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal that has been discredited by the Court of Appeal.
The first work day after Onnoghen’s suspension, Nigeria Police sealed off the CJN’s office on January 28, 2019, and other adjoining ones, ejecting administrative staff.
Accorting gathered report, the move of the suspension was seen as pre-empting any possibility of Onnoghen accessing the office, PUNCH reports.
The report revealed that Justice Muhammad has continued to operate from his chambers as the acting CJN even after his first three months of acting was renewed for another three months by the National Judicial Council upon Buhari’s request in April.
He has remained in his chambers after his inauguration as the substantive CJN on July 24, 2019.
Following enquiries by our correspondent on Thursday, private security operatives around the axis of the CJN’s office said it was under renovation.
Our correspondent could, however, not observe any renovation activities going on at the deserted axis on Thursday.
The Supreme Court’s Director of Press and Information, Dr Festus Akande, told our correspondent on Friday that Justice Muhammad would start occupying the CJN’s office at the beginning of the new legal year of the court later in September.
Akande said, “You know that the office has not been used for some time. So there is the need to carry out some renovation on the office.
“But I can assure you that the honourable CJN will move to his office as the new legal year begins later this month.”
The new legal year ceremony of the Supreme Court will hold later in September during which 38 lawyers, including the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata, and a Lagos lawyer, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, will be confirmed with the coveted rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
