The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen has resigned his position with immediate effect.
According to TheCable reports that he turned in his resignation letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday evening, a day after the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended that he be compulsorily retired .
By virtue of section 306 of the 1999 constitution, his resignation takes immediate effect.
Section 306 says “(1) Save as otherwise provided in this section, who is appointed, elected or otherwise selected to any by this Constitution may resign from that office by his hand addressed to the authority or person by whom he , elected or selected.
(2) The resignation of any person from any office established by this Constitution shall take effect when the writing signifying the resignation is received by the authority or person to whom it is addressed or by any person authorised by that authority or person to receive it.”
The resignation, TheCable understands, was the “best possible option” for Onnoghen under the current circumstance.
It will also save Buhari from having to get two-thirds majority of the to confirm Onnoghen’s retirement as stipulated in Section 292 (1) of the 1999 constitution which says a “judicial officer shall not be removed from his office or appointment before his age of retirement except in the following circumstances – (a) in the case of – (i) Chief Justice of Nigeria… by the President acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate.”
Buhari may not be able to muster the needed majority.
TheCable previously reported that Onnoghen’s retirement benefits in cash and kind will cost about N2.5 billion.
As part of the package for chief justice, a house will for him in Abuja with a nine-digit sum for furnishing — to a severance gratuity that is 300% of his annual basic N3,363,972.50, as well as for life.
Just like , chief justice is entitled to a number of and sundry allowances for personal upkeep.
This package for judicial officers was put together by the NJC long before Onnoghen became the CJN in 2017.
However, if he is dismissed, he will not be entitled to any benefits.
Onnoghen chose the option of resignation as a measure of damage control, quoted his associates as saying.
