Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said the Senate does not have the constitutional powers to probe former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammed.
Falana said this Thursday on TVC, adding that National Judicial Council is the only legal entity that can probe any impropriety and corruption allegations levelled against a CJN.
Premium Politics had earlier reported that Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, ordered the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to probe the erstwhile CJN over the allegations of corruption levelled against him by the 14 justices of the Supreme Court.
But Falana said, “The Senate has no powers to look into them, with profound respect to the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi, whom I have so much respect for. As far as the law is concerned here, you have the national Judicial Council, empowered by the constitution, to examine such allegations.”
Falana who also blamed the National Assembly for the current crisis ensuing in the Judiciary, added, “I must confess, the National Assembly has itself to blame for the problem we are currently encountering in the Judiciary.
“Section 81 of the constitution prescribes that the President shall submit the budget of the country to the National Assembly for consideration.
“What the National Assembly has done over the years is not to look at the budget, just to pass it as it is sent to them, and this is causing the problem. We must know what we are budgeting for. What will go replacement of cars of judges, recurrent expenditures and the rest of them, but there were no details, and it is against the constitution to pass a budget without examining it.”
