Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and all relevant security agencies to urgently investigate and make public their findings on the rumoured visit of Olukayode Ariwoola, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), to the United Kingdom (UK) for medical reasons and the allegation that he was in disguise to meet with President-elect Bola Tinubu in London.
The CNPP, in a statement issued by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, at the weekend, said this has become necessary to preserve the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
There were unconfirmed reports that Ariwoola and Tinubu secretly met in London, and pictures surfaced online of the CJN in a wheelchair during his alleged trip.
However, the CNPP noted that despite the denials of the plans to hold such meetings by the two men, “the integrity of both the CJN personality in Nigeria and that of the President-Elect have been called to question, particularly in view of the widespread criticisms of the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s rulings on political issues since this year’s general elections.
CNPP’s statement read in part, “The Supreme Court under the current leadership has given several verdicts on political litigations in recent times which put the integrity of the apex court to question before this very damaging report by an online news portal on the alleged planned meeting between the CJN and the President-elect in London.
“The CNPP, therefore, calls on President Muhammadu Buhari, Security Agencies, and all relevant stakeholders to institute an open investigation into the reported planned meeting between CJN Ariwoola and President-elect Tinubu to lay to rest the controversy in the interest of justice and national security.”
