The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, has summoned six Chief Judges in the country to explain the circumstances surrounding the conflicting court orders that emanated in their states in the last one month.
Justice Mohammad, who doubles as Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), issued the summons to the affected Chief Judges in Abuja, on Monday.
The Chief Judges summoned are those of Rivers, Kebbi, Cross River, Anambra, Jigawa and Imo states.
The summons sighted by Daily Independent indicated that the Chief Judges in question are to appear before the CJN prior to an enlarged one by the NJC to explain the rationale behind the issuance of conflicting orders by courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
The summons read in part; “My attention has been drawn to media reports to the effect that some courts of coordinate jurisdiction were granting conflicting ex parte orders on the same subject matter.
“It has become expedient for me to invite you for a detailed briefing on the development.
“This is even more compelling having regard to earlier NJC warning to judicial officers on the need to be circumspect in granting ex parte applications”.
The CJN, it was learnt, had expressed dismay over the embarrassment caused the country’s judiciary by the actions of the Judges who issued the conflicting orders upon ex parte applications by some political parties.
It was gathered on good authority that Justice Muhammad’s move is to nip in the bud what clearly has been seen in some circles as an embarrassment to the judiciary in the recent past.
The CJN, who was reported to be worried over the development, intends to use the meeting to get facts for an informed NJC deliberation expected to hold next week.
