Indications emerged last night that the National Judicial Council (NJC) had given certain conditions to the suspended President, Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Isa Salami, before he could be reinstated.
Salami was suspended by the NJC on August 18, 2011 after an emergency session.
The NJC which met yesterday to deliberate on the recommendations of the Justice Muhammadu Uwais –led Stakeholders Judiciary Reform Committee, recommended the reinstatement of Salami.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN) Justice Dahiru Musdapher, had on October 14, 2011 raised the 29-member committee to look into reforms in the judiciary.
But a sub-committee of the panel, including Justice Mamman Nasir, Justice U. Kalgo and Justice Bola Ajibola, asked the CJN and the NJC to reinstate Justice Salami while the committee upheld the decisions of the sub-committee and recommended Justice Salami’s reinstatement.
But a source close to the NJC confided in LEADERSHIP yesterday that Salami was given the conditions on the grounds of overriding interest of the judiciary, saying that if he accepted the conditions, the controversy surrounding his suspension would be laid to rest.
According to the source, “Of course, the NJC meeting of yesterday was fruitful. The issue of Salami was exhaustively discussed, just as certain conditions were put in place for his reinstatement.
Members later resolved to set up a reconciliatory committee to meet Salami and brief him about the NJC’s recommendations for his necessary action”.
He therefore gave the conditions as follows, “It was agreed that Salami ‘s suspension was wrong? on the grounds that since he had gone to court to court to challenge the NJC, he ought not to have been suspended.
“Salami should withdraw his pending suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja while he should be recalled thereafter.
“But in the interest and sanctity of the judiciary, he (Salami) should come in (be reinstated), spend just three months and give notice of his retirement.”
LEADERSHIP further gathered that it was after Salami would have agreed to the conditions, only then would the issue of his reinstatement be addressed at the next NJC meeting.