The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday granted the request of the Federal Government and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Samuel Nkanu Walter Onnoghen, to settle out of court an appeal challenging his removal as CJN.
The decision of the court followed information to the effect that the two parties in the suit have intensified efforts to reach an amicable settlement of all issues in dispute.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 removed Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria during the pendency of a charge against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
However, at Thursday’s proceedings in the appeal, lead counsel to the former CJN, Dr Ogwu James Onoja, informed a 3-man panel of justices of the Appeal Court that the two parties are already having discussions on a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
Onoja informed the court that the parties had an engagement up until Wednesday, September 18 and expressed optimism that the discussion would bear fruitful results.
The senior lawyer subsequently appealed to the appellate court for a one-month adjournment for final settlement of the matter.
Federal government lawyer Tijani Gazali corroborated the submission of Onoja and requested that the matter be shifted forward for a possible amicable settlement