Atiku Abubakar, presidential
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the “attempt to force”
Walter Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), out of office has a negative
meaning.
He said this in response to the
charges filed against Onnoghen at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
Ibraheem Al-Hassan, head of press
and public relations unit of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, had disclosed that
Onnoghen will be arraigned before the tribunal on Monday over alleged
non-declaration of assets.
This followed a petition written
against him.
Reacting in a statement, Atiku
said the move against Onnoghen fuels his suspicion of President Muhammadu
Buhari’s “growing desperation” concerning the forthcoming elections.
He added that if Onnoghen is
found guilty, he should be tried by a competent court of law and not by
Buhari’s administration.
“I have received the news of the
sudden charges about to be filed against the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice
Walter Onnoghen, with apprehension and suspicion especially as such a move
against the head of an arm of our government is coming so close to an election
in preparation of which the Buhari administration has shown growing
desperation,” he said.
“My suspicions are further
exacerbated by the fact that the Buhari government is pressuring an independent
and self governing arm of government with the aim of getting CJN Walter
Onnoghen to resign or be pushed aside.
“I stand on the side of the rule
of law and believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
“If Justice Walter Onnoghen is
guilty of the charges about to be preferred against him, let his guilt be
determined by a competent court of law and not by the Buhari administration.
The executive cannot usurp the role of the judiciary. Nigeria is still a
democracy and not a fascist dictatorship as President Buhari may wish.
“Any attempt to force Justice
Walter Onnoghen to vacate his office, 4 weeks to an election for which the
unpopular Buhari administration has shown every intention to manipulate, is a
move pregnant with negative meaning.
“I see no reason whatsoever for
the ongoing pressure by the Buhari government to force Justice Walter Onnoghen
to vacate office when he has not been convicted for any offence.
The PDP candidate called on the
president to abide by the rule of law and stop his interference in the case
against the CJN.
He said: “I therefore call on the
President to respect the principle of separation of powers and abide by the
rule of law on this matter and stop any interference or pressure on Justice
Walter Onnoghen or the judiciary and allow the law and the constitution take
its full course.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com