Malami Denies Plotting To Sack Ondo Chief Judge

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has faulted claims by the Ondo State Chief Judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, that he was working with Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and others to remove her from office.

Justice Akeredolu made the allegation in a suit she filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, in respect of which the court has restrained Gov. Akeredolu and other defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/2016/2021 from taking any further steps that could hurt the plaintiff’s interest.

The defendants in the suit are the justice minister, the National Judicial Council (NJC), Gov. Akeredolu, commissioner for justice in the state, Ondo State House of Assembly and the inspector general of police. Justice Akeredolu in the suit, claimed the third to fifth defendants have vowed to remove her from office on account of allegations by Olupelumi Fagboyegun (her relative), who in a viral video accused her of being instrumental to his alleged detention for three years in connection with a disagreement over a family property.

The Ondo chief justice further alleged in a supporting affidavit that the third to fifth defendants have elicited the political support of the first and sixth defendants “to illegally remove her from office when she has not been investigated by the second defendant (NJC) which has the constitutional duty to do so.”

She added that the first, third to sixth defendants are planning to and will use unlawful means to remove her from office as the chief judge of Ondo State and interfere with the performance of her judicial functions unless the court intervenes. In a counter- affidavit filed on March 9, 2021, Malami faulted Justice Oluwatoyin’s claims in the suit. The minister’s office stated that the averments in the supporting affidavit, as it relates to him are based on the deponent’s personal opinion and are speculative in nature.

It prayed the court to in the interest of justice, dismiss the application filed by the plaintiff. At the last mention of the case on March 11, Justice Inyang Ekwo rescheduled the planned hearing of the plaintiff’s motion for interlocutory injunctions to March 22.