Following the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen, a spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign council, Mr Kasim Afegbua, has alleged that the Federal Government wants to inflict maximum fear and get rid of the judicial system ahead of next month’s general elections to achieve their ulterior motive.
Afegbua stated this during his appearance on Channels Television’s political programme, Sunday Politics.
“What it that motive?” Afegbua questioned.
“The motive is that they just want to get rid of the judiciary, inflict maximum fear in the system, so that when elections come on February 16 and this government is voted out of power, they can unleash mayhem on the system.
“For us, you do not say you are using corruption to fight corruption. It has to follow due process because even the CCT you are using is an inferior court of inferior jurisdiction,” he said.
Afegbua added, “You asked him to step aside and the most senior person should take position, but you have forgotten that the Act setting up the CCT did state in Section 3B that ‘If you admit to a mistake or an error in your submissions in your asset declaration, then the matter is settled.
“You say a man has committed a crime, you are also abusing the procedures of law to met out punishment on him.
“If you are so much in a haste to apply ex parte order on the CJN, we also expect you to take appropriate action when similar cases of this nature occurred,” the PDP presidential campaign spokesman said.
President Muhammadu Buhari had last Friday suspended Onnoghen and appointed Tanko Muhammed as acting CJN.
Giving his reason for the action, the President said he suspended Onnoghen in line with an order from the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, asking him to wield the big stick.
In his speech sent to DAILY POST, Buhari said the order demanded that the CJN be suspended pending the determination of his ongoing trial at the tribunal.
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