NIGER Delta leaders under the Pan-NIGER Delta Forum (PANDEF) has demanded the confirmation of Justice Walter Ononghen as the Chief Justice of the Federation before the expiration of his acting period.
The group met at the residence of elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, in Abuja on Saturday night, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to forward his name to the Senate for confirmation in line with existing precedence.
Former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, read a communique issued at the end of the meeting where the group expressed the hope that the president would indeed send Ononghen’s name for confirmation or it would be interpreted as that he was not wanted because of his Niger Delta origins.
Attah said: “There have been agitations and a lot of questions asked as to why for the first time we have a situation where we have an acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, why after three months he has been asked to act, his name still hasn’t been forwarded to the National Assembly for approval or confirmation.
“There has been a lot of concern and as people of the Niger Delta and considering this is a Nigerian issue and particularly a Niger Delta issue because he is from the Niger Delta region, we decided that we will meet and look at this whole issue.
“And we have come to a conclusion that there is a template for the appointment of Chief Justice of Nigeria and there is no reason whatsoever why we should expect that the president will deviate from that template.
“It has always been that the National Judicial Commission, after all their investigations, will make their recommendations to the presidency, the president will forward the name and the National Assembly will confirm.
“We expect that to be the case and we expect it to happen before the expiry of the period of his acting as Chief Justice of the Federation.”
The group also appreciated the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo for his peace tour of the Niger Delta but admonished that while the tour was welcome, Osinbajo must dialogue with the Niger Delta leaders represented by PANDEF on the basis of the 16-point agenda already given to him.
The former Akwa Ibom governor said “that should be the basis for finding lasting peace solutions to the Niger Delta.”