By Ibe Uwaleke (Lagos) and Lemmy Ughegbe (Abuja)

Whereas Justice Chuka Jideofor Okoli was suspended for his role in the impeachment of Mr. Peter Obi, Justice Kayode Bamisile was sanctioned for his role in the impeachment of Chief Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State.

The impeachment process leading to the ouster of Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State also claimed a casualty in Justice Ya'u Dakwang as he was equally suspended for his role.

A statement made available to The Guardian in Abuja yesterday and signed by the Executive Secretary of the council, Mr. Danladi Halilu, disclosed that Justice Jide Aladejana, who was appointed Acting Chief Judge of Ekiti State by the state's House of Assembly was also suspended.

The statement, in part, reads: "The suspension is sequel to the role they played in the recent impeachment of the governors of their respective states.

"The National Judicial Council in the exercise of its power under Paragraph 21 (d) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, gave the suspension at its recent emergency meeting which was held on 20th December 2006 in Abuja."

At the climax of the controversial impeachment proceedings in Ekiti, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Salihu Modibo Alfa Belgore, had given an indication of what to come in a letter he wrote to Aladejana.

The letter entitled "Petition against the conduct of Hon. Justice Jide Aladejana of Ekiti State High Court on illegal composition of purported impeachment panel in Ekiti

State," reads thus: "It has been brought to my notice that you have been appointed by the House of Assembly of Ekiti State as the acting Chief Judge, following the suspension of the State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Kayode Bamisile, for exercising his constitutional power. Your faxed letter and other documents of 12th October, 2006 to me were also in the same vein.

"As you are aware, the procedure for appointment of an acting Chief Judge for the state is clearly spelt out in Section 271 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"I am to stress that the perceived imminent constitutional crises in the state mentioned in your letter notwithstanding, the procedure and circumstances under which you have been appointed are contrary to the aforesaid provision of the 1999 Constitution on appointment of an acting Chief Judge. Hence, any action by you in your capacity as the acting Chief Judge will be unconstitutional."

President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Ekiti on October 19, 2006 after Governor Fayose was impeached on October 17, 2006 by 24 members of the House of Assembly who alleged corruption and misgovernance as the former governor's offence.

Justice Bamisile, the chief judge of the state, was suspended by the state House after the committee he appointed cleared Fayose of any wrongdoing.

In his place, Justice Jide Aladejana was appointed by the State House of Assembly who thereafter constituted a second seven-man panel, which found Governor Fayose guilty of the allegations levelled against him.

In the case of Governor Obi of Anambra State, he was removed from office by 15 members of the state Assembly out of the total of 28 members.

Obi was impeached on November 6, 2006 after the House passed a resolution based on the report of the seven-man judicial panel, which indicted the governor for over-reaching himself.

The panel was set up by the now suspended chief judge of the state, Okoli.

Concerning Governor Dariye of Plateau State, Justice Dakwang, the chief judge of the state, constituted a seven-man panel on the request of six members of the state Assembly to probe the governor.

He was impeached on November 6, 2006 by the minority six members of the state Assembly who affirmed the report of the seven-man judicial panel led by Chief John-Mark Samchi.