The members of the National Judicial Council (NJC) on Wednesday failed to resolve the issue surrounding the recall of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami.
The consideration to recall Justice Salami follows a recommendation by a three-man special sub-committee of the Judicial Reform panel that the suspended President of the Court of Appeal should be reinstated to his office by the council. It was on the strength that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher, recommended his recall to President Goodluck Jonathan.
A source present at the Council meeting said that members had been warned not to divulge to the public the discussion at the meeting.
Another source who asked not to be named said that no decision was taken on Justice Salami yet and added that there were divisions among the members over the issue of reinstating the President of the Court of Appeal.
“While some are sympathetic to Salami and believed that he should be recalled so as to restore the credibility of the Judiciary, others who were loyalists of the former CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu were against such a recall,” the source said.
This information could however not be verified as the council declined comments or release an official statement of the outcome of it’s meeting.
The 29-member stakeholders Judicial Reform Committee headed by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Uwais and set up by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, on October 14th 2011 had also recommended Justice Salami’s reinstatement.
Justice Salami was suspended by the NJC on August 18, last year after an emergency session of the NJC. He is presently in court challenging his suspension as the president of the Court of Appeal
