Rumoured telephone conversation with Tinubu false – CJN
Justice Olukayoode Ariwoola, the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), has denied the presidential petitions tribunal had a telephone conversation with President Bola Tinubu in a bid to influence its outcome. The petitions court is currently trying the dispute arising from Nigeria’s last February presidential poll.
Denying the speculation, Ariwoola, in his statement by the director of information of the Supreme Court, Dr Festus Akande, said no such call took place with neither Tinubu nor the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi
He said, “Nigerians have been following the proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal with admirable enthusiasm. So, it is advisable we all sustain the tempo and follow it up to the end, instead of relapsing into the realm of speculations and rumor peddling that will not do anyone any good
“If this current trend of falsehood and mudslinging is sustained, our nation may not make the desired progress. The courts are statutorily established to serve the best interest of the masses; and we are ever poised to do that to the best of our ability.
“The rule of law and supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution will always be upheld and applied in every matter that comes before the courts; as the facts presented and the subsisting laws must be applied in determining the merit or otherwise of each matter.
“The public should be rest assured that justice will be done to all matters pending in the various courts across the country, irrespective of who is involved.”
Opposition candidates–Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Peoples Democratic Party’s Abubakar Atiku are contesting the election of President Tinubu, whom the electoral umpire had declared the winner of the controversial poll.
