Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Mike Ozekhome, has criticized the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) over his role in the disbursement of local government funds in Osun State, insisting that the office must be separated from that of the Minister of Justice to ensure impartiality in justice delivery.
Speaking during a televised interview on Sunday, Ozekhome argued that while a Minister of Justice is a political appointee, the Attorney General, as the nation’s Chief Law Officer, must act independently and in the interest of the federation.
“There should be a Minister of Justice, and an Attorney General of the Federation. The Attorney General should stamp his feet on the ground and say no to politics, yes to his role as Chief Law Officer, whose allegiance is not to the federal government but to the Federation,” Ozekhome stated.
The senior lawyer faulted the AGF for allegedly directing funds to sacked local government officials in Osun State despite a High Court ruling that nullified their election.
“He knew very well they had been sacked from office and never reinstated by any court of law,” Ozekhome stressed.
Referencing the 2004 Supreme Court judgment in the case between Lagos State and the federal government during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, he warned the Bola Tinubu-led government against repeating past mistakes.
“If the Attorney General failed to give the President the right advice, it is a failure on his part. And if he did give that advice and Mr. President refused, all he needed to do was resign,” he added.
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