Justice J.B.K. Aladejana, one of Ekiti State’s most senior judicial officers, has voiced strong objections to his omission from the list of nominees sent to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for consideration as the next Chief Judge of the state.
In a statement issued by the judge, he expressed dismay over what he called a “worrisome outcome” by the Ekiti State Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which reportedly acted in line with Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s preferences.
Aladejana contends that bypassing him for a junior judge violates judicial tradition and raises serious constitutional concerns.
According to him, the nomination of Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, who joined the bench nearly 12 years after Aladejana, was not only irregular but also echoes a troubling past.
“The Ekiti State government’s position that I am junior because I resumed in Court 3 is both misleading and unjust,” he stated.
He explained that the justification provided by the state, based on courtroom assignment, was flawed.
“It is shocking that after enduring 16 years of suspension based on a disputed NJC recommendation, I am once again being sidelined this time from my rightful place in the hierarchy,” he said.
Justice Aladejana was suspended in 2006 due to his alleged role in the impeachment of former Governor Ayodele Fayose.
Though the NJC recommended his retirement, the state never enforced the decision. Instead, Ekiti State continued to regard him as part of the judiciary.
“I was eventually reinstated after 16 years, during which the state government continued to treat me as a member of the judiciary.”
“They sent me abroad for studies, appointed me to chair a judicial commission of inquiry on chieftaincy matters, and later made me Chairman of the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission,” he recounted.
On his reinstatement in 2023, Aladejana was assigned to Court 3, an administrative decision he said he did not contest.
“He explained that it was for administrative convenience. I did not contest it because I had just returned after a long absence,” he said, referring to the decision by the late Justice Oyewole Adeyeye, who had joined the bench six years after him.
Drawing a sharp contrast with his own suspension, Aladejana raised concerns about Justice Ogunmoye serving as acting Chief Judge without the proper constitutional backing.
“It’s an ironic twist. The same issue for which I was made to suffer for over a decade is now being repeated, yet I am the one being further punished,” he said.
