Onnoghen
Attacks
on President Muhammadu Buhari over the suspension of former Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has been described
as the response of corruption against moves to finally rout it.
Giving
the analogy in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday, former
spokesman of the defunct New People's Democratic Party (nPDP) and a
chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the South-South region
of the country, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, also pointed out that the
response of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), once
again exposed the party as one that can never divorce itself from its
old ways of life and doing, which he said is basically all about
corruption.
According
to the party chieftain, the recent threats by the main main
opposition actors, particularly leaders and members of the PDP,
calling for unspeakable actions against the country and her law
abiding citizens, including threats of war and possible overthrow of
government, are not only acts of treason against the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, but a sin against God and humanity, adding that those in
the lead of these allegedly potent threats to the nation's peace and
progress should be marked by all Nigerians as enemies of our
collective peace and development.
Eze,
who attempted to set the records straight on the action of the
Federal Government in relations to the due suspension of the
embattled former CJN, pointed out that Justice Onnoghen was only
suspended, as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction, pending
the determination of a grave and criminal charge of corruption filed
against him, noting further that it would have amounted to more acts
of corruption if the erstwhile chief law officer would be allowed to
sit much longer as a judge in his own matter.
He
reiterated that President Muhammadu Buhari acted in the best
interests of the nation and in fulfillment of one of the cardinal
policies of this administration, which is to fight corruption to a
standstill.
"Besides,
Mr. President made a shocking disclosure that millions of dollars
was traced to the accounts of the suspended Chief Justice of
Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen which he refused to disclose as
obtainable in the law. Although the allegations in the petition are
grievous enough in themselves, the security agencies have since then
traced other suspicious transactions running into millions of dollars
to the CJN’s personal accounts, all undeclared or improperly
declared as required by law.
"Perhaps
more worrisome is the Chief Justice of Nigeria’s own written
admission to the charges that he indeed failed to follow the spirit
and letter of the law in declaring his assets, citing “mistake”
and “forgetfulness” which are totally unknown to our laws as
defences in the circumstances of his case.
"Under
normal practices, one expected that with his moral authority so
wounded by these serious charges of corruption, more so by his own
written admission, Mr. Justice Walter Onnoghen would have acted
swiftly to spare our judicial arm further disrepute by removing
himself from superintending over it while his trial lasted.
"It
becomes absurd and worrisome that instead of applauding Mr President
for acting swiftly by agreeing to suspend such a corrupt element from
our system, the PDP and some of her members are threatening brimstone
exposing them as supporters of corruption in Nigeria.
"More
worrisome is the fact that a big political party like PDP that has
ruined our nation for the sixteen years it govern, through massive
looting of our common patrimony with impunity, has shamelessly
suspended its presidential campaign for three days in sympathy with
one of its key actors in promotion of corruption.
"Sadly
also, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has
threatened to summon the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
this Tuesday, probably to start off an impeachment process against Mr
president, seeing that his party, the PDP, has lost hope of winning
the February 16 presidential election through the back door. Let me
warn that any act that will cause anarchy or breach of peace in any
part of our nation should be avoided, knowing very well what some of
us suffered to bring this democracy into being. Those very close to
the Senate President should counsel him accordingly to avoid him
truncating our hard earned democracy", he counseled.
Eze
advised Nigerians particularly those crying wolves over an obvious
bad case, to be counselled by the Ijaw youth group, under the aegis
of United Niger Delta Youth Council, that has declared the embattled
Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen as a ‘persona non
grata'.
Eze
quoted the group as saying “it is, therefore, inexcusable for a man
of such high standing to feign ignorance to the law as regards the
declaration of assets in the country under the Code of Conduct Act.
And if that is the case, then such a person is not fit to hold the
exalted position of Chief Justice of Nigeria. We also wish to use
this medium to state that corruption as a social vice knows no tribe,
race or religion.
"It
is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian
society over the years, and so, therefore, those that using the
suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen to wipe up ethnic and religious
sentiments should desist from such acts as they cannot cry more than
the bereaved. Justice Walter Onnoghen a Niger Delta son that is
supposed to serve as a role model to us has indeed failed woefully
and brought shame and disgrace to the people of the Niger Delta
region", the group had said.
Eze
concluded by commending President Buhari for acting in compliance
with the Order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal by swearing in
Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed JSC, being the next most
Senior Justice in the Supreme Court as Chief Justice of Nigeria, in
an acting capacity, saying "we can't continue to condone and
support corrupt elements in our system, no matter whose ox is gored".
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