…As PDP, Atiku, Saraki reject appointment of acting CJN***
The third force movement under the aegis of the Nigerian
Intervention Movement (NIM), have given President Muhammadu Buhari seven days
to reinstate the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen or face
unprecedented mass action.
NIM being jointly led by a frontline civil right activist
and legal icon, Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN and the son of a former Prime Minister of
Nigeria, Dr Tafawa Balewa views the suspension of the CJN and the swearing in
of the justice Tanko Ibrahim Mohammed as a threat to Nigeria’s fledgeling
democracy.
The group said it is putting President Buhari on a strong
notice that at the end of seven days from today, if he fails to reinstate the
CJN they will be compelled to mobilise a coalition forces of ni-Nigerian civil
society and leaders of conscience across the country to confront the Buhari
regime with an unprecedented mass action to save Nigeria’s democracy
A meeting of the coalition of forces against civilian
dictatorship in Nigeria has been slated to hold on Thursday 31st January in
Lagos to kick start a nationwide mobilisation to save democracy ahead of the
2019 elections.
Below is a full statement that contains the position of the
third force move on the issue of Justice Onnoghen’s suspension.
“PRESS STATEMENT
Friday, 25th January 2019
NIM – ‘THIRD FORCE’ GIVES BUHARI SEVEN DAYS ULTIMATUM TO
REINSTATE CJN
….. TO HOLD NATIONAL MOBILISATION MEETING IN LAGOS
The third force movement under the auspices of Nigeria
Intervention Movement, NIM have given President Muhammadu Buhari seven days to
reinstate the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen or face an
unprecedented mass action from the third force movement and its allies until
the President’s unpopular decision is rescinded
The NIM being jointly led by a frontline civil right
activist and legal Icon, Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN and the son of former prime
minister of Nigeria, Dr Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa profoundly views the
suspension of the CJN and the precipitate swearing in of the President’s
Kinsman, Justice Tanko Ibrahim Mohammed as a threat to Nigeria’s fledgling
democracy and the feasibility of the 2019 general elections as well a
desperation to compromise all relevant Institutions of state ahead of the 2019
elections
By this statement, we wish to put President Buhari on a
strong notice that at the end of seven days from today, if President Buhari
fails to reinstate the CJN we shall be compelled to mobilise a Coalition Forces
of Nigerian Civil society and leaders of conscience across the country to
confront the Buhari regime with an unprecedented mass action to save Nigeria’s
democracy
“We wish to assert that the action of the President today is
subjudice, smacks of crass dictatorship and a setback for constitutional
democracy in our country, just as it is a clear descent of civil rule to the
dark days of military jackboot in Nigeria as recently alerted by former
president, Olusegun Obasanjo and we in NIM, who fought with our lives to
restore Nigeria’s current democracy, have vowed to resist the dastardly move of
the Buhari regime to cage all institutions of State ahead of the 2019
elections, with every resources at our disposal”
The meeting of the coalition of forces against civilian
dictatorship in Nigeria has been slated to hold on Thursday 31st January in
Lagos to kick start a nationwide mobilisation to save democracy ahead of the
2019 elections
Mr Debo Adeniyi
Director, Media Bureau
Nigeria Intervention Movement, NIM”.
In the meantime, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its
Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have rejected the appointment of acting
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
The PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity
Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday in Abuja, said that the PDP rejected
in its entirety, the attempts to foist an illegal Chief Justice on the nation
while the substantive CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen remains in office.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday suspended Onnoghen,
pending the completion of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and
sworn in Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, from Bauchi State, as the acting CJN.
According to the president, the suspension was as result of
the ongoing trial of Onnoghen by the CCT and subsequent order of the tribunal
directing him to suspend him, pending the completion of his trial.
Ologbondiyan who is also the Director, Media and Publicity,
PDP Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) said that the PDP firmly held
that such impunity could not stand, as Nigeria is a nation governed by law.
He called on the National Assembly to immediately reconvene
and proceed with legislative actions against President Buhari over the
suspension.
“There can be no two Chief Justices of Nigeria. Our
constitution is clear on how a Chief Justice is appointed and removed, as such
does not lie on the prerogative of the President.
“As such, we urge all Nigerians and the international
community to recognize only Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Ologbondiyan invited the international community and
particularly the United States and the United Kingdom to note that the action
was an assault on the judiciary geared towards subverting the 2019 general
elections.
“Nigeria is a democratic state governed by the constitution
and the law and Nigerians will never allow anybody to appropriate rulership to
himself outside the dictates of the law,” Ologbondiyan said.
Similarly, Atiku Abubakar rejected the appointment of an
acting CJN and call on Justice Onnoghen and the judiciary to resist with every
legal and constitutional means that they could muster.
Abubakar in a statement described the President’s action as
the latest in the ongoing rape of the nation’s hard earned democracy .
“The fact that the unlawful suspension of Onnoghen was
announced just as it became public knowledge that the CJN was constituting the
election petition tribunals is not lost on discerning Nigerians and the
international community.
” This act of desperation is geared towards affecting the
outcome of the 2019 Presidential elections.
“Indeed, it is not just the CJN that has been “suspended”,
it is the Nigerian Constitution that has been infracted and, in effect,
suspended, under the guise of the suspension of the CJN.
Abubakar called for unity amongst the judiciary, saying they
should not allow the APC government turn them against yourselves.
“The judiciary is the last hope of the common man and the
defender of our democracy.
“I also urge the international community to follow the
commendable example of the United States and the United Kingdom by intervening
to make those involved in this undemocratic act know that their actions will
have consequences. Strong consequences.”
He also urged Nigerian electorate to save the country from
dictatorship by voting against desperate war against the judiciary.
In another reaction, Senate President Bukola Saraki,
expressed concern over the suspension of Onnoghen.
Saraki, in a statement, said that the suspension was alien
to the Constitution.
“There are already the general belief that this action was
taken to pre-empt the already scheduled inauguration of election petition
tribunals by Onnoghen.
“By unilaterally suspending the CJN without following the
provision of the constitution is a dangerous signal to the entire world.
“Our Constitution makes no provision for suspension of the
nation’s highest judicial officer. The constitution provides a clear process
for removal of the CJN and specifies the roles of the three arms of government,
beginning from the National Judicial Council (NJC), the National Assembly and
the Presidency.
“They all have different roles to play in that process, ” he
said.
He called for reversal of the decision to allow due process of law to take its natural course in determining the guilt or otherwise and suitability of Onnoghen to continue as the head of the nation’s judiciary.
Additional report from The Citizen
