CJN summons six states’ chief judges over conflicting exparte orders

The Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Tanko Muhammad, has summoned the chief Judges of Rivers, Kebbi, Imo, Jigawa, Anambra and Cross River states to an emergency meeting in Abuja over ‘conflicting exparte orders emanating from their jurisdictions, which he notes as embarrassing.

This is contained in a letter of invitation dated August 30, asking the judges to come and brief him on the incessant granting of conflicting orders and suits instituted by different political parties before the various courts.

Spokesperson for the CJN, Soji Oye, confirmed the letter of invitation but did not mention date and time fixed for the meeting.

The letter stated, “My attention has been drawn to media reports to the effect that some courts of coordinate jurisdictions were granting conflicting exparte orders on the same subject matter.

“It has become expedient for me to invite you for a detailed briefing on the development. This is even more compelling having regard to an earlier NJC warning to judicial officers on the need to be circumspect in grating exparte applications.”

Three high courts in different states have issued different conflicting orders restraining, reinstating/returning and stopping the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus from from performing the functions of the office.