CJN saga: Don't plunge Nigeria into crisis - Atiku tells Buhari
- Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has warned President Buhari and the APC not to throw Nigeria into an avoidable crisis over their desperation to sack CJN Walter Onnoghen
- Atiku alleged that the plot to sack Onnoghen was a preemptive move because the Buhari government knows it is facing imminent defeat
- The presidential candidate, however, stressed that neither Buhari nor the APC can re-write the Nigerian Constitution just because of its impending defeat at the polls
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has warned President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress not to throw Nigeria into an avoidable crisis over their desperation to sack the chief justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen.
Atiku gave the warning in a statement issued by his special assistant on public communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Saturday, January 12, Punch reports.
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Legit.ng gathers that the presidential candidate alleged that the plot to sack Onnoghen was a preemptive move because the Buhari government knows it is facing imminent defeat, and also bearing in mind that the courts play an important role in the final outcome of elections.
Atiku reminded the ruling party that irrespective of what President Buhari is being told by his advisers or the buttons they are pressing to forcefully remove Onnoghen, the principle of separation of powers remains sacrosanct in a democracy.
The statement read in part: “We have just been made aware of the plot by President Muhammadu Buhari the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sack Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen using flimsy assets declaration issues as a pretext.
“We are aware that there are plans to arraign Justice Onnoghen before the Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar led-Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday, January 14, 2019.
“The charge against Onnoghen, we understand has already been filed and served on him last Friday at his official residence in Abuja, preparatory to his appearance at the Tribunal.
"But we warn that despite the clandestine meetings in the highest echelon of the APC and also involving some top officials of the federal government which include the Code of Conduct Tribunal, neither Buhari nor the APC can re-write the Nigerian Constitution just because of its impending defeat at the February 16, presidential election.
“Heavens did not fall when PDP lost to the APC in 2015. And heavens will not fall now that the APC is sure to lose to the PDP, seeing that the APC’s plan to rig in the forthcoming elections will not pull through.”
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Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that the federal government allegedly asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, to immediately vacate his office as head of the nation’s judiciary over issues bordering on non-declaration of assets.
The federal government will arraign the CJN before the Justice Danladi Yakubu led- Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja on Monday, January 14.
The CJN is reportedly facing charges of failures to declare his assets as required by law and for operating Bank Domiciliary Foreign Currency Accounts.
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Source: Legit.ng
