The suspension of the Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo, by Governor Ademola Adeleke, has been criticized as unconstitutional by the Allied Peoples Movement, APM. The party’s state chairman, Wale Adebayo, expressed this view during a media parley in Osogbo, the state capital, stating that the action lacks legal basis.
Adebayo emphasized that the governor’s interference with the judiciary, despite a restraining order from the National Industrial Court, contravenes the constitutional provisions that prohibit Governors and Houses of Assembly from exercising disciplinary control over the removal of Chief Judges or other judicial officers.
The party is determined to employ lawful means, including petitions, demonstrations, and litigations, to safeguard the integrity of the judiciary. Meanwhile, the state government has conveyed that the petition and initial actions against the Chief Judge have been forwarded to the National Judicial Council, NJC.
The government clarified that the State Assembly, not the Governor, recommended the Chief Judge’s suspension, and an Acting Chief Judge was appointed to prevent any vacuum in leadership. The government affirmed that it will respond appropriately once court processes are served on the defendants named in the alleged suit.
