ACTUAL JUSTIFICATION FOR DETRACTORS' CLAIMS THAT CJN ARIWOOLA SECRETLY MET TINUBU KEYAMO

Festus Keyamo

Festus Keyamo, the minister of state for labor and employment, has offered an explanation for why detractors claimed Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, had a private meeting with Bola Tinubu, the president-elect.

According to reports, Ariwoola met Tinubu while posing as a wheelchair user in London.

Keyamo asserted that the story's true intent was to persuade the CJN to recuse himself from Supreme Court election cases.

Keyamo accused those behind the story of attempting to blackmail the judiciary in a series of tweets.

He wrote: "The card they are playing with the fake CJN story is to raise so much dust about the CJN, albeit unfounded and fake, so that when they get to the Supreme Court.

"They will ask him to recuse himself; they want to play the ethnic card up to the S/Court. It is absolutely condemnable!

"After attempting to blackmail & intimidate voters, they failed; then they tried to blackmail & intimidate INEC, they failed; now they want to blackmail and intimidate the judiciary.

"Yet, such despicable characters actually aspire to lead this country. It is sad. Very sad indeed!"