The Supreme Court of Nigeria has denied viral claims that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, held a secret meeting with the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election is being challenged by both Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
Africa Today News, New York reports that there were reports that went viral that Ariwoola had allegedly disguised in a wheelchair and travelled to London, where he met with Tinubu.
However, the director of press and information at the Supreme Court, Festus Akande, insisted there is no iota of truth in the report.
Speaking with Premium Times, Akande said the CJN has been in the country and presided over meetings of the National Judicial Council (NJC) held on March 16 and 17.
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Akande added that Ariwoola travelled out of Nigeria briefly to London on March 18 for medical care and was accompanied by Gambo Saleh, NJC’s secretary, only.
‘On March 23, the CJN returned from his medical trip to London and later reported in the office (in Abuja), where he worked till 8pm.
‘The only time the CJN travelled earlier this year was on January 25, when he travelled for Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia. He returned on January 29,’ Akande said.
In the same vein, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Bayo Onanuga has denied in strong terms the reports that went viral which alleged that Bola Ahmed Tinubu held a secret meeting with the Chief Justice of Nigeria Olukayode Ariwoola in London, describing the report as grossly fake, misleading and malicious.
The report claimed that the CJN disguised to meet Tinubu in London, arriving there in a wheelchair and checking in to an unknown hotel.
Onanuga stated that no such meeting was held between the two leaders pointing out that the concoction must have been issued from the hallucinating minds of hatchet men bent on creating doubts and public distrust about the legitimacy of the recent election won by his principal.