Eminent professor of law Itse Sagay (SAN) on Wednesday said Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen was not above the law, so the order to arrest him for failing to appear before the Conduct Tribunal (CCT) was in order.
Sagay told our correspondent that the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) should have appeared before the CCT to demonstrate his regard for the rule of law.
He said: “I don’t want to speak much on it, because whatever I say, they will pour petrol and set fire on it.
“But from the beginning when this problem started, I said that no one is above the law.
“Ask yourself, if you or I were the ones accused, would we not appear before the CCT?
“How is Onnoghen different from the rest of us legally and constitutionally? No way,” Sagay said.
The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman disagreed with former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) who said the CCT’s order was subversive of the rule of law since a petition against Onnoghen was pending before the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Sagay said: “I don’t want to criticise Agbakoba, but they should think of the future of this country.
“They should not create a privileged class that is not subject to law whilst others are subject to it. At the end of the day, it will bring the law into contempt.
“I think Onnoghen should have appeared before the CCT to show that as the former head of the Judiciary, he has great respect for the rule of law.”
