Confusion over who presides at NJC meeting

The emergency meeting of the National Judicial Council (NJC) did not take off on a smooth note Tuesday morning as there was confusion over who convened the meeting and who should preside, TheCable understands.

The meeting was called via a message sent on Sunday by Soji Oye, the NJC director of information, who apologised for the short notice.

It was to start at 10am inside the NJC conference room.

As previously reported by TheCable, neither Walter Onnoghen, the suspended chief justice of Nigeria, nor Ibrahim Muhammad, the man appointed to act in his position, will attend the NJC meeting which was called to resolve the leadership crisis in the judicial arm.

Bode Rhodes-Vivour, who is currently the third most senior justice at the supreme court, is not a member of NJC but was invited by the secretary, Ahmad Gambo Saleh.

Rhodes-Vivour was immediately ushered out politely when he entered the conference room.

In the absence of both Onnoghen and Muhammad, the council is expected to elect a chairman pro tempore to preside over the meeting.

Umaru Abdullahi, president of the court of appeal from 1999–2009 who is also a member of NJC, eventually voted as the interim chairman by members and he presided over the meeting.