By George Onah
A Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Mr. Sebastine Hon, SAN, has called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu not to resign as being canvassed in some quarters but should hold his head high as a jurist and nationalist.

Hon who was reacting to the call by President of the Appeal Court Justice Isa Ayo Salami to the Chief Justice to resign, said the statement was not made in good faith, explaining that the “outburst of Salami was unprecedented and unethical.”

Mr Hon in a  statement, yesterday,  said his argument was based on the fact that “Justice Salami only heard by rumour that he was to be elevated to the Supreme Court, no offer was made to him to elicit the rejection of the promotion.”

Hon said there were several stages, under the constitution, to appoint a judge to the bench of the Supreme Court, including recommendation from Justices of the Supreme Court, advice by Federal Judicial Service Commission, National Judicial Commission recommends to Mr. President and subject to confirmation by the Senate.

“As it is, no step had been taken before Justice Salami ignited the present unnecessary fire. He did not wait for any advice to be made by the FJSC, let alone an offer to elevate him to be made before going to court. His harsh letter to the CJN was contrary to civil service rules and conduct,” he added.

Hon drew attention to the alleged order by the CJN to Justice Salami to disband the Sokoto Tribunal, saying  that, the CJN may have used his high office to carry out the act if it needed such, explaining that peace in the country and amongst a religious grouping was better than any other personal considerations.

He added that it was most uncomplimentary for Justice Salami to have labelled his colleagues “on the Court of Appeal bench as stooges and minions of the CJN.”