THE Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted Justices John Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court for writing the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mahmoud Mohammed that Dr Ogbonnaya Onu and former Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, attempted to bribe them to pervert justice.
Dr Onu, a former governor of old Abia State and now Minister for Science and Technology and Amaechi, who is now the Minister for Transport, were alleged by the judges in separate letters of attempting to influence the outcome of governorship election petitions in their states, an allegation they have since denied.
A statement by the Enugu State publicity secretary of the APC, Mrs Kate Ofor, said: “They should forthwith leave Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Rotimi Amechi alone.”
When asked about the claim made by one of the judges that he informed the CJN about the alleged attempt to influence justice when it happened, Mrs. Ofor said “the Honourable Justices, going by the powers conferred on them by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are aware that they have the power to call on the police or even their orderly to arrest anybody who is attempting to pervert the cause of justice. It is not enough to whisper to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who luckily has not owned up to such frivolous allegation.”
“It is painful that corruption has penetrated the temple of justice, where justice is for sale, to the extent that humongous amount in different currencies were found in the houses of the justices like Bureau De Change dealers. This is why President Muhammadu Buhari lamented that if Nigerians do not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigerians.’
Speaking further, the APC spokesperson commended the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) for having “woken up,” referring to the body’s disagreement with NJC over the call for the suspension of the arrested justices.
“The NJC and indeed the Chief of Justice of Nigeria should be more patriotic by joining this strident war against corruption. If Nigerians do not join the fight and show enough commitment, then we are in soup,” the statement said.