JUDICIAL Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, has accused the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, of embarking on selective justice in carrying out his responsibilities as the nation’s chief law officer.

According to the union, the AGF should treat the judgement relating to the autonomy of the judiciary, which was in its favour, with the same dispatch he treated the issue of swearing-in of the deputy governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Bala Ngilari, as governor in response to a court judgement.

The accusation came on the heels of the recent Abuja High Court judgment that ordered the immediate swearing-in of the deputy to impeached Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Mr. Bala Ngilari, as the governor.

There was allegation that Ngilari had tendered his resignation letter as deputy to Nyako which made him not to be qualified to succeed his former boss, an allegation Ngilari denied and was able to prove that ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ in the High Court.

In obedience to the judgment, the Federal Government, through the office of the AGF, directed the Chief Judge of Adamawa State to comply with it by swearing-in Ngilari as the state governor.

Reacting to this, President of JUSUN, Comrade Marwan Adamu, said the instruction by the AGF to the Acting Chief Judge to obey the judgment was a welcome development, but urged him to replicate same on court order on the financial autonomy of the Judiciary given in the same court.

Comrade Adamu lamented that since January 13, 2014, the same Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered a judgment in favour of JUSUN, which Adoke had failed to give an order directing the Accountant General of the Federation to comply.

He said:  “We appreciate the directive by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to the CJ of Adamawa State, instructing him to comply with the judgment of Federal High Court, Abuja.

“We also want to say that since the Minister of Justice has just woken up to his constitutional responsibility now on the Adamawa governorship crisis.

“He should also replicate same on the judgment that was delivered by the same judge on JUSUN case against governors on financial autonomy of the Judiciary as the chief law officer by giving the Accountant General of the Federation ordern to comply with the court judgment.

“We are hoping that he will give instruction to that effect as soon as possible because since January 13 till date, the Accountant General of the Federation is yet to comply with that judgment, especially with regard to the provision of section 162 sub 9 of the 1999 constitution as amended.”

Commenting on the reason the union shelved its planned resumption of suspended strike, Comrade Marwan said:   “It was due to the interventions by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Labour Emeka Wogu, Minister of State Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda who is also Chairman of Federation Account Allocation Commissioners (FAAC) and host of other stakeholders”.

He assured that the union would continue to champion the independence and financial autonomy of the Judiciary as an arm of government and would not hesitate to resume the suspended action to press home their demand if it sensed any sabotage from any quarter.