The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Caucus in the House of Representatives has kicked against the illegal suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Caucus vowed to join forces with other lovers of democracy to fight anti-democratic forces desperate to subvert the nation’s democracy, saying that “Nigerian is not a Banana Republic where anything goes.”
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday by the Deputy Minority Leader, and the Leader of the Caucus, Hon Chukwuma Onyema, the Caucus declared that “Nigeria is country being governed by rule of law that must be obeyed by all and sundry.”
According to the Caucus, “it is no surprise that within a short while, President Muhammadu Buhari’s unprecedented unilateral replacement of Justice Walter Onnoghen with Justice Tanko Mohammed has reverberated so loudly across the world; so has the news of how Onnoghen’s residence was unjustifiably blanketed by forces of coercion during the weekend.
“We commend all Nigerians who have expressed their concern about this slide into dictatorship; our mass media, especially PUNCH must be singled out for the bold and objective perspective of its Saturday, January 26, 2019, titled ‘CJN’s suspension: A dictator bares his fangs.’
“We note too, that the United Kingdom, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) and the United States have joined their voices with that of credible and progressive Nigerian democrats, legal professionals and civil society in expressing very deep concerns over the constitutionality or lack thereof, of the Presidency’s suspension of the chief officer of the judicial arm.
“With less than 20 days to the Presidential and National Assembly elections and with few hours to the constitution of election tribunal judges done on Saturday, the APC/Buhari administration has unequivocally shown its determination to use sleight of hand methods in forcing an election win by all undemocratic means possible.
“As many have rightly noted, the hurried timing of the action, so close to the next election suggests a hidden and perverse agenda by a government that lives in an echo chamber of self-adulation, promising change and transparency while perilously endangering democracy and short-circuiting due process.
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“Without citing any explicit constitutional authority and hiding behind ‘an order from the Code of Conduct Tribunal,’ President Buhari flagrantly violated the provisions of Section 292 (2) of the 1999 Constitution that clearly lays out how the Chief Justice of Nigeria can be removed from office
“Unequivocally, Sections 153, 158, and Parts 1 and 2 of the 3rd Schedule to the Constitution provide that a Judicial Officer cannot be so arbitrarily removed from Office until he has first been tried by the National Judicial Council (NJC) while Section 292 (2) makes it clear that the President can only remove the CJN from Office while acting on such decision reached by two-thirds majority of the Senate.
“Without a doubt, there has been a government of lies, propaganda and then more lies and every conscious Nigerians know that the entirely contrived and hurried circumstances were orchestrated based on the so-called petition dated January 7 by President Buhari’s erstwhile aide, an APC man while another APC sympathiser is neck deep in the persecution case.
“Everyone in Nigeria knows how Justice Onnoghen’s substantive elevation to the CJN position was unduly delayed by the Buhari government in 2016 until reason prevailed and Osinbajo, as Acting President did the needful in 2017.
“When Buhari’s former aide’s January 7 petition came to light, they initially lied that the Presidency knew nothing about it but the exceedingly lightning speed put behind it all by the Buhari presidency speaks volumes.
“Even a Thursday Court of Appeal ruling, ordering the CCT to stay action, pending the determination of Onnoghen’s application that the CCT had no power to try him, was waved aside for President Buhari’s unprecedented decision of Friday, January 25.”
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