The Coalition of United Political
Parties (CUPP) says it has uncovered alleged plot by the Buhari-led All
Progressives Congress (APC) govt to “harm” the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN),
Justice Walter Onnoghen”.
Imo Ugochinyere, CUPP spokesman,
stated this on Wednesday in a statement which contained a letter by the office
of the Attorney General of the Federation, directing the freezing or Onnoghen’s
accounts.
The
accounts are the same contained in a petition against the CJN by a group, the
Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI).
The group said its petition,
dated January 7, 2019, became necessary, “bearing in mind the imminence of the
2019 General Elections and the overwhelming roles of the Judicial Arm both
before and after”.
ARDI alleged that prior to 2016,
Onnoghen appeared “to have suppressed or otherwise concealed the existence of
these multiple domiciliary accounts owned by him, as well as the substantial
cash balances in them”.
Account balances listed against
as follows: The Standard Chartered Bank dollar account 1062650 with a balance
of $391,401.28 on January 31, 2011;
The Standard Chartered Bank Euro
account 5001062686 with a balance of EURO 49,971 .71 on January 31, 2011;
The Standard Chartered Bank pound
sterling account 5001062679 with a balance of GBP23,409.66 on February 28,
2011;
“It is curious that these
domiciliary accounts were not declared in one of the two CCB Forms filed by
Justice Onnoghen on the same day, 14th December 2016,” the group said.
But CUPP said the federal
government was angry because Onnohen “refused to compromise the composition of
the post-2019 election Supreme Court Appeal Tribunal.
The coalition said: “Lobbying of
all sorts by the APC chieftains to get the Chief Justice of Nigeria to accept
to compromise the Presidential Election Appeal Tribunal and to compose the
Governorship election Supreme Court Appeal Tribunal Rivers State, Akwa Ibom
State, Delta State, Lagos state, Benue State, Imo State, Kwara State, Plateau
state, Kaduna State, Abia State and Sokoto State with their preferred choices
of justices did not succeed as the Chief Justice had remained faithful to his
Oath of office and said by his actions that the Supreme Court was neither going
to be partisan nor partial and would not consider such requests.
“The current ordeal of the
Honourable Chief Justice will not end soon. He is up against people who are
desperate and who do not care if the engine of state grinds to a halt. They
have taken this dastardly attack to a new low by freezing all the family assets
of the family of the CJN.
“We are in possession of the
letter from the Attorney General of the Federation to this effect. This
onslaught on the judiciary is as undemocratic as it is unconstitutional. This
is capable of furtherderailing our democracy as such brazen violation of the
Constitution is
only tantamount to treason.
“With the happenings in the last
48 hours and the insistence of the Presidency to either get the CJN to comply
or be removed from office, we hereby notify the nation that the life of the
Honourable CJN, Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen as well as those of his family
members is not safe.
“The situation will very quickly
descend into compromising the security of the CJN. The APC govt views the
resistance of the CJN to the plot to hijack the Supreme court as the only piece
that has not been fixed in its grand design to rig and manipulate the 2019
general election for President Muhammadu Buhari and APC chieftains.
“Nigerians will be shocked by the
contents of the letter directing the freezing of the accounts and assets of the
CJN. We hereby attach it.
“We are also in possession of
audio recordings of meetings of those behind the plot including call records
which we will be releasing as we analyze them. It is still amazing how the
Buhari led APC govt is continuing in this path of ignominy, opprobrium,
reproach, and dishonour despite the widespread outrage by Nigerians across
board. Their mind is made up. They believe nothing can stop them now.”
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