JUST IN: Onnoghen must face trial, APC insists

The All Progressives Congress has insisted that the Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onoghen, must face his corruption trial
at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

The ruling party said the noise being made by the Peoples
Democratic Party and some elements in the bar was an indication of
unholy alliance to frustrate the fight against corruption.

This was contained in an address by the National Publicity
Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Lanre Issa-Onilu, on
Monday.

“Following the notice of the charges preferred against the Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, by the Code of Conduct
Bureau at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, the Peoples Democratic
Party has been on overdrive vituperating over an issue that should
at best be left to the judiciary to resolve,” Issa-Onilu said.

Continuing, he noted, “While we would not want to be lured into
discussing issues that are presently before the courts and for
which any respectable political party hoping to hold positions of
responsibility should restrain itself, we regret to suggest that
the PDP’s attempt to hoodwink Nigerians into believing that there
is a political motive behind the allegation brought against the CJN
might itself be indicative of some unholy alliances.

“The likely affinity existing between the PDP and a section of
the judiciary is further accentuated by the nonappearance of
Justice Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday, in
line with the suggestions made by the PDP governors from the South
South on Sunday.

“Are Nigerians expected to see this as a mere coincidence? Is
the PDP and their governors acting a script? Haven’t we missed an
opportunity to show confidence in an institution headed by the
CJN?

“This becomes more worrisome, knowing that the PDP campaigns
have been receiving cold shoulders everywhere they have gone to and
it has become apparent the party and its presidential candidate are
facing imminent defeat in the February 2019 elections and may be
searching for some unorthodox means of forcing itself on the
Nigerian people.

“If this were not so, the PDP should, before coming to these
distracting conclusions, have taken cognisance of the facts of the
allegations made against the CJN and his admission to the facts so
stated.

“The only logical conclusion in the circumstance is that
realising the refusal of Nigerians to allow the deception of the
PDP con them into returning the party to power, the opposition
party has alongside some pliable human rights activists devised a
plot to distract the APC and indeed the good people of Nigeria from
addressing the very important issues on the APC’s manifesto in the
electioneering process.”

Issa-Onilu claimed that the APC has also noticed “the very
dangerous attempt to designate the CJN’s arraignment along ethnic
and religious lines, thereby trying to heat up the polity by
evoking primordial sentiment which would do the country no
good.”

“This is an ungodly ploy when we consider that the CJN was an
officer of the federation rather than that of any region,” he
warned.

“We therefore urge all Nigerians of good conscience to caution
the PDP as the country is bigger than any political party or the
interest it represents, and nothing should stop the country’s
steady march into sustainable democratic governance.”

“In our earlier statement on the CJN’s CCT trial, we had noted
the PDP’s shocking and innate proclivity to defend cases of
corruption anytime it arises.

“The call by the PDP South South Governors for the CJN to
boycott the CCT trial further cements our position. Let it be
reiterated that nobody– no matter how highly placed — should be
above the laws of the land.

“We wish to put on record that the virulent attack that has come
from the PDP in the wake of the trial of the CJN over alleged false
asset declaration is particularly worrisome and suspicious when the
PDP has in fact called for the removal of virtually all heads of
government’s arms, particularly the Chairman of Independent
National Electoral Commission and Inspector General of the Police
over frivolous issues.

“While the will not be drawn into debates on the legality and
sponsored conspiracies of the CCT trial, we insist that our
democratic and constitutional institutions must be allowed to
operate without interference and undue pressure from partisan and
sundry interests as being done by the PDP and its cronies.

“The CCT trial is a legal matter, let the law run its course.
The CJN must go through the instrumentalities of the courts, more
importantly as an institution he represents. Indeed, this is the
true test of our constitution, rule of law and will deepen
democracy.

“Where there are contestations on institutional procedures, we
must allow same institutions perform their functions unhindered,
autocorrect if necessary and set good precedence on future
matters.

“This is the only way we can build strong and lasting
institutions,” Issa-Onilu concluded.