The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has insisted that the planned arraignment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen, was a move by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, government to rig the 2019 elections.
In an interview with DAILY POST, AYCF President, Yerima Shettima said the planned arraignment of Onnoghen by the Buhari-led government was an assault on Nigeria’s democracy which has come to stay, hence Nigerians should kick against it.
DAILY POST had reported that the Federal Government will on Monday, January 14, 2019, arraign the CJN before the Justice Danladi Yakubu-led Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja on charges of failure to declare his assets as required by law and for operating Bank Domiciliary Foreign Currency Accounts.
The charges against Justice Onnoghen were filed and served on him on Friday at his official residence in Abuja preparatory to his appearance at the tribunal.
However, Shettima, who described the planned move as a “grand conspiracy”, insisted that the case against Onnoghen was a plot to rig the forthcoming election.
According to him, “I think there is a grand conspiracy to undermine the sensibilities of Nigerians. At this critical period when we have one month to the election, the present Buhari, APC-led administration has been seen to bring tension, panic and it’s a clear indication that they are not prepared for the election.
“These all points to the fact that our democracy is in danger, our democracy has been undermined and this is a call for all Nigerians to rise up to protect our democracy. It appears from all indications that most of them in government were never part of those who advocated for democracy; they didn’t know what people suffered; what we went through but today they find themselves in power and knowing they have not paid their dues, they just act in whichever way. But for us, Nigeria is our country, we have paid our dues and will not accept any anti-democratic act.
“So, this is a call to Nigerians to ensure that democracy is protected. We have seen them making attempts to undermine the legislature and now it has moved to the judiciary. If you now kill the legislature and the judiciary where is the democracy then? There is no democracy, Nigerians must all rise up and condemn this act, this country must remain together. This country has come this far and we will not allow anyone to undermine us.
“We must all condemn the act, it’s unacceptable, to an extent they are becoming more desperate and I think it’s a way to intimidate the judiciary so that they will rig the election and uphold the judiciary and the head of judiciary and at the end of the day, they will put fear in the mind of other justices and people and this must stop.
“The judiciary must rise up to the occasion never to accept any intimidation from any angle.”
Shettima also said: “Whether Cabals or not, he (Buhari) must take responsibility and if he doesn’t know that such things are happening then it’s a clear indication that we don’t have a leader because he has taken oath of office to rule the country as the Commander-In-Chief so if there are things in the country he must definitely be aware of it.
“Well, for us Nigeria must remain together, democracy has come to stay and any attempt to undermine it will not be accepted as we will rally round to kick against it and resist any intimidation and blackmail by anybody.”
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