Tinubu considering ex-Judge linked to Wike for INEC chairman, as Buba Galadima blows hot
By Ishaya Ibrahim
President Bola Tinubu is reportedly considering retired Justice Mohammed Liman as the next chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The revelation was made by Professor Farooq Kperogi, who says he learned of it after a New Nigeria Peoples Party chieftain, Buba Galadima made a veiled threat about a retired judge from Nasarawa being considered for the post, warning it could lead to “civil war.”
The retried jurist is believed to be close to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
In 2016, security operatives stormed the residence of Justice Liman to arrest him but was shielded by then Governor Wike. Liman at the time was a Federal High Court judge in Rivers State, while Wike was the state governor.
Wike had said at the time that he prevented the arrest of Liman because it was wrong for security operatives to invade the residence of a judge in the night.
Liman’s likely appointment
Kperogi said he learned of Liman’s possible choice as INEC chairman after a chieftain of the NNPP, Buba Galadima, made a veiled threat. “Come November, there are rumors all over the place that this government is nominating a just retired court of appeals judge who is known for notoriety to be the chairman of INEC. I wish it is not true. Because if that man becomes the chairman of INEC, be rest assured that this government is inviting a civil war in this country,” says Galadima.
Kperogi said after doing some digging, he found out that the judge being referenced by Galadima was Justice Liman who recently retired long before his due date.
According to Kperogi, Justice Liman is a magnet for judicial controversies.
He said: “I looked up Liman and found a May 26, 2024, Daily Trust analysis titled ‘Kano emirate: 7 controversies trailing Justice Liman.’ In it, John Chuks Azu, Daily Trust’s legal editor, chronicled how Liman halted Governor Abba Yusuf’s move to reinstate Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Kano emir, which sparked a palace standoff that hasn’t abated and ignited jurisdictional debates.
“The report also noted that the National Judicial Council had dismissed a misconduct petition against him, which paved the way for his promotion to the Court of Appeal.
“Liman also drew fire for halting both Abdullahi Ganduje’s suspension as APC chairman and his arrest over the 2018 “dollar stuffing” video. This fact suggests that he has close associations with Ganduje.
“In Edo, the Daily Trust report pointed out, NCP governorship candidate Peters Omoragbon accused Liman of “misconduct and dereliction of duty” for delays in ruling on an INEC case.
“Liman’s Port Harcourt home (he is said to be close to Nyesom Wike) was among those raided by the DSS in 2016, when agents claimed they recovered $2 million, an allegation he denied. He quipped that he would have resigned his job as a judge if he had that much money stashed at home.
“And in 2015, his sentencing in the N25bn corruption trial of Michael Igbinedion stirred outrage when the principal defendant walked away with fines while his co-defendant got 20 years.”
