Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), has described the suspension of Walter
Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), as dictatorship taken too
far.
President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Onnoghen on Friday,
appointing Tanko Mohammed from Bauchi state in acting capacity.
The president based his action on an order of the Code of
Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
But Atiku attributed the president’s action to an attempt to
undermine the judiciary ahead of the February 16 presidential
poll.
He wondered why Buhari removed Onnoghen just as he was preparing
to swear in members of election petition tribunals.
“The fact that the unlawful suspension of Chief Justice Walter
Onnoghen was announced just as it became public knowledge that the
CJN was constituting the election petition tribunals is not lost on
discerning Nigerians and the international community,” he said in a
statement he personally signed.
“This act of desperation is geared towards affecting the outcome
of the 2019 Presidential elections.”
The presidential candidate called on the judiciary to do all
within its powers to resist the “anti-democratic act”.
Describing the judiciary as the last hope of the common man, he
called for the intervention of the international community.
Below is the statement:
The purported suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria by
President Muhammadu Buhari, is an anti democratic act which I
reject in its entirely and call on Justice Onnoghen and the
judiciary to resist with every legal and constitutional means that
they can muster.
This brazen dictatorial act is the latest action in the
ongoing rape of our nation’s hard earned democracy by those who
dined with anti democratic forces, and is symptomatic of the
increasing desperation that President Buhari and the cabal pulling
the strings have as February 16, 2019 draws near.
The fact that the unlawful suspension of Chief Justice
Walter Onnoghen was announced just as it became public knowledge
that the CJN was constituting the election petition tribunals is
not lost on discerning Nigerians and the international community.
This act of desperation is geared towards affecting the outcome of
the 2019 Presidential elections.
The case involving the legality or otherwise of the charges
against Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen is in court, as it should be.
So far, the judiciary has ruled in Justice Onnoghen’s favour. So,
why not allow the court to adjudicate on the matter? What is the
pressing urgency?
I want to seize this opportunity to call for unity amongst
the judiciary. Do not let the Muhammadu Buhari administration
divide you. Do not let this government turn you against yourselves.
The judiciary is the last hope of the common man and the defender
of our democracy.
I also urge the international community to follow the
commendable example of the United States and the United Kingdom by
intervening to make those involved in this undemocratic act know
that their actions will have consequences. Strong
consequences.
And to the Nigerian electorate, I call on you to save your
beloved country from dictatorship by voting against President
Muhammadu Buhari’s desperate war against the judiciary. Our country
is falling apart under the leadership of President Buhari and it is
time to stand up for democracy.
Read more atiku-describes-onnoghens-suspension-as-dictatorship-taken-too-far/
Budget: FG Denies Alleged Discrepancies in Budget
Proposal
Our attention has been drawn to the allegation by a member of the
House of Representatives during its debate on the 2019 Budget
Proposals yesterday concerning errors and/or discrepancies in the
2019 Appropriations Bill.
Earlier today, officials of the Budget Office of the Federation
met with the Secretariat of the House Appropriations Committee to
review the honourable member’s observations. The outcome of the
review is that there are no errors/discrepancies as alleged by the
honourable member. It is instructive to note that the presentation
format of both the Appropriations Bill and Budget Details for 2019
are consistent with prior years.
Although we are yet to receive any formal communication from the
National Assembly on these observations, we have written a letter
to the House Appropriations Committee Chairman, and are issuing
this statement in view of the wide coverage the observations have
received in the media.
BEN AKABUEZE
DIRECTOR GENERAL
BUDGET OFFICE OF THE FEDERATION