The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to change tactics in handling the controversial suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen.
In separate statements on Sunday in Abuja, the CDD Director, Idayat Hassan and the TMG Chairperson, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, were however unanimous in asking the President to reinstate Justice Onnoghen and allow justice to take its course on the matter.
Hassan said the President was aware that he had no such powers on the Onnoghen case, but justified his action by claiming he was obeying a directive from the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), before which Mr Onnoghen is standing trial.
“The Tribunal however, has no such powers, and the CDD strongly avers that the President must backtrack from his action as a prerequisite for resolving the quagmire and resolving the predicament we find ourselves in as a country.
“Mr Onnoghen had himself presided over the establishment of the jurisprudence for suspension of all judicial officers charged for wrongdoing. He, therefore, had an absolute responsibility to step down immediately and allow the NJC deliberate and take a decision on the matter.
“Instead of taking the irresponsible action to stop the 88th statutory meeting of the NJC scheduled to hold on January 15, 2019, which could have deliberated on the matter and taken a proper decision based on the facts of the case and precedent,” she said.
Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi, on her part, on behalf of the over 400 CSOs, said the purported suspension of Onnoghen is an onslaught by the Presidency against the judiciary, ill-advised and poorly timed.
According to her, it was worrisome that the interference by the President in another arm of government portends dangers for the nation’s democracy, and specifically, the 2019 electoral process.
“Of utmost importance in the electoral process, is the impartiality of the election petition tribunals. The recent happenstances have placed serious credibility question on the tribunals, who will be faced with the uphill task of proving that their adjudication of election cases would not be tilted to favour the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Apart from the credibility problems, the action against the CJN has created the perception in the public that the President is not committed to standing by his promise to ensure the conduct of free, fair and credible elections. What the President has done is an abuse of power and taking advantage of his control of state apparatus to override the will of the court system,” she said.
