Suspended magistrates in the Ondo State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) have accused Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of conniving with the Acting Chief Judge (CJ), Mrs Olanrewaju Akeredolu, to victimise them.
The government, through the JSC, suspended about 200 judiciary workers, including magistrates and senior registrars, for alleged irregularities in their appointments.
They said their suspension was based on hatred.
In a statement yesterday in Akure, the state capital, the suspended magistrates said there was no basis for showing them the exit when they were neither indicted nor queried for any offence.
They noted that Akeredolu, being a lawyer, should allow the Judiciary to be independent rather than being controlled by Executive power.
The statement reads: “We were suspended on the order of the Acting Chief Judge without any indictment, query or conviction for any offence. We were made to understand that our appointments were not regular in years under review.
“As gentlemen of the Bar, we collected those letters, hoping that it was a misconception by our employer, which just got on board, and we hoped such will be addressed shortly.
“What we hoped for didn’t happen; rather, we were shocked to hear through a circular to the public that the Judicial Service Commission has technically declared our positions vacant and adverts pleaded in this regard.
“At this point, we became worried that it seemed the new government and Justice Olanrewaju Akeredolu have scores to settle with us. Part of the information reaching us is that the Acting Chief Judge erroneously believes due process was not followed in our appointments.
“As a reply to this erroneous belief, we state that the affected magistrates are first qualified to be lawyers and have been so qualified for appropriate years as guaranteed by the Magistrates Courts Laws of Ondo State 2006 to have been so appointed to the hallowed lower bench of the Ondo State Judiciary.”
The aggrieved magistrates added: “None of us was picked from the university or the Nigerian Law School. We state that all our appointments scaled through the JSC and letters were conveyed to us, same emanating from the JSC of Ondo State. We say that none of us has been found unfit or not proper for the job.
“On the issue of suspension, we submit that suspension is a temporary way of halting a worker’s duties pending investigation into a definite offence committed by the worker…”
But the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Yemi Olowolabi, denied the allegations.
He said Akeredolu would not intervene in any issue that affects other tiers of government other than the Executive.
The commissioner said the suspension was carried out after serious scrutiny by the JSC, adding that the Executive did not have any input in the action.