Nigeria’s Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has allegedly been sighted in London in what Supreme Court sources said was a clandestine preparation for a meeting with President-elect Bola Tinubu, Peoples Gazette is reporting.
This would be a brazen attempt by Tinubu to influence upcoming court cases filed by his opponents in the just concluded 2023 Presidential elections.
Tinubu was arrived in London this week for what his team claimed was a relaxation trip after a hectic campaign that preceded his declaration as Nigeria’s president-elect last month.
The Gazette learnt that Ariwoola departed Nigeria on March 11 via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He was pushed in a wheelchair through the terminals to board a British Airways flight, our sources said.
Upon arrival in London, Ariwoola, 64, was also wheeled into a hotel downtown, where he has remained ever since. But immediately after checking into the hotel, Ariwoola abandoned his wheelchair and started moving around the facility unaided. The Supreme Court head is not known with any physical disabilities.
A Supreme Court source told the Gazette Ariwoola wanted to meet Tinubu to discuss issues that may arise from the budding legal challenge to the declaration as president-elect, including whether or not he should be worried about the petitions recently filed by opposition parties.
“The CJN would either assure Tinubu of victory in court or tell him that he should be worried about the dimension the petitions may take through the court stages,” the source said under anonymity to avoid facing administrative action for divulging privileged information to reporters. “But we may never know what they actually discussed after their secret meeting.”