The dust has not settled even after the forced resignation of the former Chief Justice of the country, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, as the Senate on Tuesday said his resignation will not stop the probe of petitions by Supreme Court Justices.
Newsonline reports that in a motion on the floor of the Red Chamber, on Tuesday, the Senate said it will not allow the epicenter of the temple of justice to be ridiculed by enemies of democracy.
The resolution of the Senate arose from a motion brought to the floor by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central senatorial district.
Raising his motion under Order 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders 2022, as amended, Senator Bamidele recalled for the senators that the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had last week, drawn the attention of the chamber to media reports on the state of affairs in the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Newsonline had reported that about 14 Supreme Court justices through a letter played a role in the forced resignation of Justice Muhammad Tanko on Monday.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele on the floor of the Senate, said, “the Judiciary, which is the epicenter of the temple of justice, should be preserved by the Senate through appropriate legislative measures to safeguard this highly revered institution and prevent it from being ridiculed.
READ ALSO: How Avoiding Igbo CJN, 14 Judges, Cabals Forced Justice Tanko To Resign
Opeyemi maintained that the resignation of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed, “will not prevent the committee from going ahead with its assignment in the quest to find a probable lasting solution to the matter.”
He argued that “even though Justice Tanko Muhammed has stepped down as CJN, most of the issues raised by the Justices of the Supreme Court and other stakeholders within the Judiciary, still remain and need to be addressed urgently to prevent an eventual shutdown of the Judiciary.”
Opeyemi noted that the poor welfare of Judicial Officers would adversely affect the output of the Judiciary in service delivery.
The Senate, therefore, mandated the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, to go ahead with the probe of the crisis in the judiciary by looking into the complaints raised in the petition by the Justices of the Supreme Court.
The Upper legislative house also advised the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters to ensure it liaises with the three arms and report back to the general house.
