The suspension on Friday of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari, has continued to attract condemnation from across the country, particularly South-South geo-political zone where the CJN hails from. Buhari immediately appointed Tanko Mohammed from Bauchi State, as acting CJN after sacking Onnoghen.
The President had said that he suspended Onnoghen, following an order from the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), asking him to wield the big stick.
Reacting to the development, youths under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), described the Onnoghen’s suspension as an abuse of constitution and practice of dictatorship by President Buhari.
The group in a statement signed by its National President, Pereotubo Roland Oweilaemi said Buhari has no right under a democratic government to unilaterally suspend CJN without the impute of the National Assembly, especially the Senate.
“The suspension of the Chief Justice of the Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen is an abuse of office taken too far. President Buhari has suspended the Constitution thereby applying fascist rule. He has no power whatsoever under our democracy to unilaterally suspend CJN without the input of the National Assembly, especially the Senate,” the youths said.
“As for us in the Niger Delta, this is a direct assault on our collective aspirations to live in a united Nigeria. We shall resist this discriminatory action of the present government even with the last drop of our blood. Nigeria belongs to all of us therefore, we will no longer allow ourselves to be treated as second fiddle human beings,” the group said.
Apprehension is high that some militant groups not comfortable with the removal of the CJN may vent their spleen on oil installations in the Niger Delta, which may also negatively impact an economy that has consistently been in an ailing state.
Mike Ozekhome, a constitutional lawyer, describing the President’s action as a rape on democracy and abuse of the nation’s constitution, said that it was dictatorial.
Ozekhome stressed that the country was now back to the military era. He urged Nigerians to rise and protest against the action of the Buhari administration.
“The desperate act of a sit-tight president constitutes a direct suspension of the Nigerian Constitution and the entire democratic process. It has finally removed the remaining veneer of pretension to democratic credentials by Buhari and his all-conquering cabal. Welcome, Nigerians, to full blown dictatorship, absolutism, authoritarianism and fascism Buhari has behaved worse than what he was as a military tyrant. Military juntas always only suspended parts of the Constitution they did not like.
“But, by torpedoing the entire judiciary, rule of law and due process , including four valid High Court/Federal High Court rulings and yesterday’s ruling by the Court of Appeal, all of them staying proceedings of the phony and funny charges levelled against Onnoghen before the CCT, Nigerians now know that we have now become an endangered species,” he said.
According to him, “It means that the next election is nothing more than a ritualistic outing to illegally confer life presidency (not just 4 years) on Buhari.
“Nigerians should brace up, come out en masse, to protest against this illegality. We are back to full Abacha era, as OBJ rightly noted three days ago in his patriotic letter to Nigerians. Nigerian lawyers and the NBA should shut down all courts in Nigeria until the CJN is returned to his seat”.
“This recent act is a big scandalous shame on the Buhari government, assuming it still knows anything called shame.
“It has tainted it with the paint brush of odium, obloquy and international derision. The international community should weigh in immediately to prevent Nigeria from burning”
In their reaction, Southern and Middle Belt leaders flatly condemned the President’s action.
In a joint statement signed by the leaders, Edwin Clark, Ayo Adebanjo, John Nwodo and Pogu Bitrus, titled ‘Constitutional crisis as Buhari illegally suspends CJN’, the group said the President’s action as unprecedented and alien to Nigeria’s constitution, and clearly shows that the country was now under a dictatorial rule.
“We have checked through the constitution and the President has no power to unilaterally suspend the CJN. Section 292 of the amended 1999 Constitution is clear that the President can only remove the CJN with 2/3 of Senate resolution,” the group noted.
“To us what has been done is resort to self-help after the Court of Appeal issued an order stopping the trial of the CJN by the CCT presided over by a man answering charges in court over corruption allegations but still in office.
“The latest action is a clear suspension of the constitution and enthronement of full blown dictatorship. We reject the illegal suspension and demand its immediate reversal. The suspension is null and void and of no effect whatever. An emergency meeting of the Forum holds shortly on this total aberration.”
In its rejection of the suspension, the PDP petitioned the National Assembly, United Kingdom and United States to sanction the ruling APC.
The PDP, in a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said it firmly holds that such impunity cannot stand, as Nigeria is a nation governed by law and not by the whims and caprices of a dictatorial leader. “President Buhari wants to ruin our country and we will never allow him” it stressed.
In demonstration of its level of rage, the PDP, through its National Chairman and Co-Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Uche Secondus, announced the suspension of its campaign activities for 72 hours in the first instance to protest against what it called, “assault against our democratic order”.
Describing President Buhari’s action as a “dangerous and brazen assault on the constitution”, the Campaign Council said there is no point in campaigning to contest in an election, whose very basis has been so flagrantly undermined.
“The action of President Buhari represents a constitutional breach and a direct attack on our democracy. This must never be allowed to stand, as there is no way by which democracy can survive under these autocratic tendencies.
“We call on all well meaning Nigerians to rise in defence of democracy and save our nation from this imminent slide into tyranny,” Secondus stated.
BY OUR REPORTERS
