Jonathan Eze
The AtikuObi Vanguard Nigeria, has condemned in strongest terms, the recent onslaught against the Judicial arm of government by the Federal Government over plans to arraign the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, on allegations of non -declaration of assets.
In a statement yesterday jointly signed by the National President of the Group, Mrs Oby Nwaogu and the Delta State Director of the group, Mr. Umukoro Okpako Jonathan, said “the planned arraignment of the CJN was a usurpation of the functions of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and urged the APC led Federal Government to follow due process on the matter.
They reiterated the group’s concern over what they referred to as the FG’s brazen plan to destabilize other arms of Government with a view to eliminating and destroying all dissenting voices and checks and balances as enshrined in the constitution.
According to the statement, “the FG tried such attacks on the leadership of the legislature and judges and where left unchallenged, now they have come for the head of the judiciary just because he will not play ball with them, adding this dangerous trend portends grave dangers for our democracy and must end.
“As a group, we condemn in it’s entirety the hounding of other arms of government, the latest being the onslaught against the CJN, stressing that Nigerians are watching and taking notes of the several fundamental right abuses by the Buhari administration and will respond appropriately at the polls”.
“the onslaught against the CJN was a game plan of the Buhari administration to sack Justice Onnoghen with a clear mandate to get a surrogate CJN that will surrender the judiciary to the whims and caprices of the APC government as a replacement, adding “we are particularly happy that Governors from the South South have urged the CJN not to honour CCT summons as it is unconstitutional and an abuse of judicial procedure”.
The statement further said: “Justice Onnoghen has since shown that he is fair, firm, and able to do justice and will not succumb to the pressures and blackmails of a government that is planning to rig election as the only hope of winning re-election following their rejection by the people of Nigeria. “This move by the Presidency is the last desperate act of an outgoing government to blackmail the CJN out of office and bring in an incompetent judge that will give credence to the APC planned rigging”.
