Group urges Nigerians to resist Onnoghen’s sack

A group, Coalition of Ethnic Nationalities for the Atiku Agenda (CENTAA), on Monday, condemned the unceremonious suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mr Walter Onnoghen, saying it rubbished the sacrifice of the heroes of country’s democracy and should be resisted.

President of the group, Hon. Adeoye Jolaosho, made the condemnation in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, saying that the step taken by Buhari signified a descent into anarchy and clearly made nonsense of the efforts and sacrifices of Nigerians who fought for the entrenchment of this Republic.

“Buhari is showing the symptoms of dictatorship and totalitarian governance and he must be stopped,” CENTAA said, even as it described as “corruption” the ruling party’s unrelenting schemes to subjugate the two other arms of government.

“This entire proceeding by APC is the worst form of corruption, this inordinate commitment towards blacklisting the Legislature and the Judiciary, this strange assault on the delicate walls of the separation of powers. This undeserved holier-than-thou posturing of the APC goes against all the norms of democracy,” the group said.

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According to it, the Executive arm of government had crushed Onnoghen in a manner that usurped the powers of the National Assembly and the National Judicial Council, just as CENTAA further accused the ruling APC of undermining the independence and dignity of the courts just to guarantee electoral victories for its candidate in the polls.

“What has happened is that the ruling APC is attempting to sacrifice the CJN on the altar of its selfish ambition to unduly dominate and rig the 2019 elections,” the group said.

Recalling that lives were lost during the fight by pro-democrats for June 12 and democracy, the support group said that the dismissal of the CJN made nonsense of the people’s fight against military hegemony and tyranny under Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.

“How could we have fought Babangida and Abacha to a standstill over June 12 only to come and suffer tyranny and dictatorship under the civilian regime of Muhammadu Buhari?” the group lamented.

CENTAA, therefore, urged true democrats to rise up for the consolidation of the country’s democracy in the coming elections by rallying Nigerians to vote out tyranny and impunity at all levels.