CJN Ariwoola was in London on March 18 for medical trip – Supreme Court speaks
The Supreme Court has confirmed that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, has travelled out of Nigeria to London, the United Kingdom on March 18 for medical care.
The Director of Press and Information at the Supreme Court, Festus Akande, disclosed on Friday evening to Premium Times.
But Mr. Akande debunked claims that the CJN Ariwoola met secretly with the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election is being challenged by both Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
Some reports went viral that Ariwoola had disguised in a wheelchair and travelled to London, where he met with Tinubu.
An online newspaper reported that the CJN Ariwoola had allegedly been sighted in London, United Kingdom pretending to be a physically-challenged old man, for a secret meeting with the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
According to an online newspaper said Ariwoola’s disguising was a clandestine preparation for a meeting with Tinubu.
Mr. Ariwoola departed Nigeria on March 11 via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and was pushed in a wheelchair through the terminals to board a British Airways flight, sources said.
Upon arrival in London, Ariwoola was also wheeled into a hotel downtown, where he has remained ever since. But immediately after checking into the hotel, Ariwoola abandoned his wheelchair and started moving around the facility unaided. The Supreme Court head is not known with any physical disabilities, an online newspaper revealed.
The sources said, with Tinubu now in Europe before heading to Saudi Arabia for prayer rites, he would be meeting Mr. Ariwoola in a secret arrangement to discuss issues unknown to Nigerians.
“The CJN deliberately left the country more than a week ahead of Tinubu to avoid any suspicion about why both of them disappeared at once,” a source familiar said. “That is why he travelled secretly and Tinubu also travelled secretly.”
“They thought that they could secretly move the president-elect abroad without anybody knowing about it,” a source said.
“That’s one of the several mistakes they made on this matter, asides from the belief that they could allow the Chief Justice of Nigeria to move about in a London hotel for several days undetected after going through the trouble of disguising him in a wheelchair.”
A source said Ariwoola wanted to meet Tinubu to discuss issues that may arise from the budding legal challenge to the declaration as president-elect, including whether or not he should be worried about the petitions recently filed by opposition parties.
However, the director of press and information at the Supreme Court, Festus Akande, insisted there is no iota of truth in the report.
Speaking with Premium Times, Akande said the CJN has been in the country and presided over meetings of the National Judicial Council (NJC) held on March 16 and 17.
Akande added that Ariwoola travelled out of Nigeria briefly to London on March 18 for medical care and was accompanied by Gambo Saleh, NJC’s secretary, only.
“On March 23, the CJN returned from his medical trip to London and later reported in the office (in Abuja), where he worked till 8 pm.
“The only time the CJN travelled earlier this year was on January 25, when he travelled for Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia. He returned on January 29,” Akande said.
Meanwhile, pictures of the CJN surfaced online on Friday. The CJN was seen dressed in Ankara print and a cap to match. He was said to have attended Jumat prayers in Abuja.
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