BELGORE JSC (DELIVERING THE LEADING RULING): On 16/5/95 this court on a motion on notice by learned counsel for the appellant, Chief G.O.K. Ajayi, SAN prayed that because eight of the justices in this court had instituted an action in libel against Concord Newspapers Limited, substantially owned by the appellant, and as such, though he was not alluding to bias by any of the justices but in the context of Nigerian Society, the nicety of Concord Press and Chief Abiola being two different legal persons would not be understood. In that case, it would be wise, to avoid the notion of likelihood of bias, for the eight named justices to disengage themselves from having anything judicially to deal with the case whenever it comes to court.
The panel of five, led by Bello, CJN, ruled that the eight justices, for overriding principle of avoiding any notion of bias, should no longer be involved in this case that is yet to take off on substantive issue in Federal High Court. Our self disqualificati…