I never locked out my successor – Ex-Kwara ACJ

Yekini Jimoh, Ilorin - 14.01.2008

The immediate past acting Chief Judge of Kwara State, Justice (Mrs.) Raliat Elelu-Habib, has said that she has no hand in the alleged lock-out from office of her successor, Justice Fola Gbadeyan.

Justice Elelu-Habib, in a statement made available to journalists, said keys to the chambers were never in her possession as there were people charged with the responsibility of keeping the keys.

“I wish to state categorically that there is no iota of truth in the whole publication as it was a mere blackmail and attempt to score cheap political goals.

“The smear campaign that I locked out the new ACJ is false alarm and mischievous in its entirety. I left the country on holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia even before the appointment and subsequent swearing-in of Justice Gbadeyan as the new ACJ. The key to the office in question was never in my possession either before or after I had proceeded on pilgrimage.

“The key, as of now, is still within the high court premises and safely in the custody of those designated to keep it. I wish to add that I am still out of the country right now while the controversial key to the office of the CJ’s chambers is available in Ilorin which could be verified.”

Efforts to get officials of the court’s registry to speak on the matter proved abortive as the Chief Registrar, H. S. Umar, could not be reached.

There were reports last week that Gbadeyan had allegedly been locked out of the chief judge’s chambers since his assumption of office about five weeks ago.

Journalists who were in the court premises on routine duty had found him still operating from the same chambers he was using when he was number two in the judiciary.