“The court has over the years consistently maintained that the principle of natural justice is sacrosanct in our judicial system and it must as a matter of constitutional obligation is observed by a judicial umpire. The Supreme Court in Adigun Vs Attorney General Of Oyo State (1987) NWLR (Pt.53), Page 709 paragraph G, per Obaseki JSC (Blessed Memory as he then was) further had this to say on principles of natural justice;

“If the principles of natural justice are violated in respect of any decision, it is indeed immaterial whether the same decision would have been arrived at, in the absence of the departure from the essential principles of Justice, the decision must be declared to be no decision,”.

The principle of fairness is crucial and sacrosanct in our judicial system and adjudicatory functions at all level of the judicial hierarchy. It must, as a matter of constitutional obligation, be observed by all judicial officers. This is because fairness and natural justice requires that a party to a cause, or a party who ought reasonably to be a party in the suit, must be given the opportunity to put forward his case or defence freely and fully. See Kano Native Authority Vs Raphael Obiora (1959) 4 FSC 226; (1959) SCNLR 577 cited with approval by Iguh, JSC (as he then was) in Ekiyor & Anor. Vs Bomor (1997) 9 NWLR (Pt.519) 1 at 14. PER S. D. BAGE, J.S.C., in