By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — AN Ilorin-based legal practitio-ner, Mr. Rowland Itoyah Otaru, SAN, has thrown his weight behind the swearing in of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu by his predecessor, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, saying there was nothing wrong with the process.

Speaking to Vanguard, yesterday, in Abuja, Otaru who noted that it would not have been out of place for Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to perform the swearing in ceremony, said, “the Vice-President presides over the Federal Executive meeting. There is nothing wrong if he had sworn in the Chief Justice of Nigeria. I think it would have been in order. The swearing in by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, I won’t say with all respect, that it was illegal.

“Well, I said he (Jonathan) ought to have done that. But I did not say again that it was illegal for the former CJN to swear in the present one, having regard to the fact that if you look at the Constitu-tion, if the President is not around, what would have been expected is that the Vice-President ought to have performed the functions of the President. The Vice-President was elected with the President.

“If there was no Vice President, the President will not be elected in an election.”