Hope dims for Salami •As NJC dumps reinstatement option

By Lanre Adewole, A

Justice Ayo Salami

USTICE Ayo Isa Salami’s hope of regaining his seat as the president of the Court of Appeal hit a dead-end on Thursday, with the National Judicial Council (NJC) reportedly concluding that his reinstatement could not be considered due to the pending suits on the matter. Expectations were high that the council might recall him on Thursday, due to its claim that it had exclusive power to reinstate him without presidential inputs.
Salami was suspended by the council on August 18, 2011 for misconduct and pardoned on May 11, 2012, with the council sending a yet-to-be replied memo to President Goodluck Jonathan to return him to office.
Though the council reportedly kicked against its deliberations and decisions getting into the media, Nigerian Tribune still gathered from an insider that when the issues surrounding Salami’s continued stay out of office, despite the pardon, came up, majority of the members were said to argue against any steps leading to his resumption in office, due to the pendency of three different cases on the matter.
Apart from the suit instituted by him challenging his suspension and seeking to determine his lawful employer, both the suit in his favour by the group and one against him by the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ousted governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, were still pending in various courts and at different stages.
The council members reportedly argued against making any moves that would undermine the courts hearing the suits and, by extension, the judiciary.
It was reportedly unanimously agreed that all issues relating to his return should be put in abeyance until all the cases were concluded; thereby going the way of Jonathan, who insisted that the council’s resolution could only be implemented after all cases were disposed of.
It was also gathered the council asked the acting president of the court, Justice Dalhatu Adamu, to excuse the gathering while Salami’s issue was discussed, since it was taken alongside his continued stay in office in acting capacity.
LibertyReport