THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South West Zone on Sunday, kicked against the planned trial of the Chief Justice of the Federation,
Mr Justice Walter Onnoghen, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, over an alleged curious infraction.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Zonal Publicity Director of the party, Mr Ayo Fadaka, who described the prosecution of Onnoghen as politically motivated and part of scheme towards perfecting the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “This prosecution of the CJN is politically motivated and calculated towards perfecting the evil plan to return President Buhari back to office irrespective of the electoral expressions of Nigerians in the forthcoming elections.
“We, however, want to warn that the ambitions of a man and his Party must not be implemented at the expense of the peace and tranquillity of our dear nation. We also want to remind the APC and President Buhari that there was a sitting President who lost the election to him and was patriotic enough not to seek to put the health of the nation at risk.
“Nigerians will not tolerate any unholy attempt to rig the elections and even coerce the judiciary to do its bidding.”
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The statement stated further that “we also note that the arrowhead of the petition is a one-time aide of President Mohammed Buhari. This action is being anchored on the continuing war against corrupt practices, a war in itself curious in prosecution and selective implementation.
“We, however, believe that this action is not isolated from challenges currently being encountered by institutions saddled with responsibilities to be of the essence in the forthcoming elections.
“Lately the issue of obnoxious INEC Guidelines for the elections continue to dominate political discuss as 91 political parties continue to cry foul over issues contained therein that is believed to be capable of compromising elections, more so against the background of President Buhari’s veto of the electoral act.”
The PDP said: “The failure of the President to also allow the retiring Inspector General of Police to vacate the office for another officer is also a threat to free and fair elections in view of the records of the outgoing IG in all elections conducted so far since he assumed the position.
“We believe that these aforementioned issues constitute major planks in the rigging plans of the APC, with a compromised INEC, an unprofessional and partisan Police management, there remains no hope that the elections will be free and fair.
“Therefore in that situation, the judiciary remains the only hope for the sanitisation of the process and the APC government of President Buhari is now clandestinely planning to behead the judiciary and emasculate it.”
The PDP called on the CJN “to bear this trial with equanimity and refuse to resign his position in the interest of the nation.
“Nigeria is a nation currently under attack from forces who seek to impose upon it a clandestine agenda that is capable of bringing unimaginable destruction upon our nation.
“The peace and tranquillity of the nation which is largely absent now should be the concern of a patriotic leadership and not playing tricks geared at perpetuating it in power at the expense of the nation.”
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