Onnoghen now opposition’s affair as Wike, other PDP Governors condemn his suspension

*Nigerians want depositors into Onnoghen’s accounts exposed

“In the update, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who has record of complicity against the start of anti-corruption crusade torchlighting the Judiciary in recent times, described the suspension of Justice Onnoghen as a national provocation by the Presidency which he said was capable of causing security crisis in the country.”

The Nigeria’s opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have exposed self more as major collaborators in the judiciary compromise that Nigeria has suffered and which President Muhammadu Buhari is now feet-on-the-ground committed to uproot.

This is as Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and other governors of the PDP have also been the only set of people who again are condemning the suspension of the erstwhile Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Water Walter Nkanu SamuelOnnoghen.

The DEFENDER reports that PDP had on Saturday suspended its campaign for next month general elections for 72 hours in solidarity with Onnoghen, who reason of being suspended is because of money runnging into millions of dollars in his foreign accounts and property which he failed to declare as required by the law to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), which is breach of the same law of the country presided over the embattled Justice.

To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari, acting on a order of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), suspended Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and replaced him in acting capacity with Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed.

It will be recalled that a section of Nigerian media (including TheDEFENDER) had reported that the United States of America and the United Kingdom expressed dissatisfaction with the CJN’s suspension, which, as a result of further investigation, we published Sunday morning that does not represent the position of the USA and UK governments, as sources toldThe DEFENDER that such USA, UK concerns reported were only found in Nigerian media but in any foreign media.

According to the sources, it means that it was statement flying only on the Twitter of American Embassy in Nigeria which is suspected to be the handwork of some of the country’s media working in collaboration with opposition,  wanting to paint the picture of USA, UK’s being averse to anti-corruption fight in Nigeria by the Buhari’s administration.

In the update, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who has record of complicity against the start of anti-corruption crusade torchlighting the Judiciary in recent times, described the suspension of Justice Onnoghen as a national provocation by the Presidency which he said was capable of causing security crisis in the country.

He condemned the President’s action when he received the National Executive Committee of the International Federation of Women Lawyers at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

The governor accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being desperate to put the party on the ballot.

He also alleged that the media would be the next target of intimidation to force them to dish out half-truths.

On his part, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom said the suspension of Justice Onnoghen was an alleged attempt by the Presidency to truncate democracy and throw the country into anarchy.

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase describe the suspension as ‘unconstitutional’.

He alleged that the Presidency has demonstrated that it does not believe in the rule of law, due process and the principle of separation of powers.

Governor Ortom said the suspension was not only a slap on the judiciary, but the action exposed the alleged desperate self-succession bid of the present administration at the expense of the country’s unity.

He claimed that the suspension of Justice Onnoghen appeared to have “the imprints of the cabal which the President’s wife said is running the government”.

The governor said the suspension must be reversed in the interest of the country and accused the APC of plot to rig the general elections.

He also called on all Nigerians to reject the suspension of Justice Onnoghen and other alleged attempts by the ruling party to cause a constitutional crisis.

For Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, the suspension of Justice Onnoghen is “a sad day and indeed a sad commentary on democracy in Nigeria”.

He said the action was inimical to the desired stability of the nation and critical institutions of state, noting that Nigerians have a responsibility to be concerned about the electoral process and the critical institutions entrusted with the responsibility to safeguard democracy in the society.

Governor Dickson warned that Nigeria would be heading in the direction of “a shithole country” as a president allegedly said if critical institutions of state do not get it right.

He said the suspension showed that the nation’s democracy was under serious stress and test.

“It is a very sad day, for our nation’s democracy and for the stability of our nation, and the stability of the critical national institution of which the judiciary is primus inter pares,” the governor said.

“We must be concerned about the process, the integrity of the national critical institutions that will safeguard and reinforce our democracy, seeing our democracy has come under very severe stress and test by what has happened.”

Governor Dickson stressed that while the courts would make a pronouncement on the legality or otherwise on the development around the suspension, he personally found the action condemnable.

“Is this action legal? I am sure the courts are there to make pronouncements on it one way or the order. However, I have my views, and clearly, I condemn it,” he noted.

The governor emphasised the need for due process and adherence to constitutional provisions, noting that countries were governed according to laws and mutual respect among the political class.

He insisted that there must be respect for processes in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies.

In the meantime, some Nigerians who took to the social media in registering their support for President Muhammadu Buhari on the suspension of Onnoghen, which they described as victory for the common man in the country, are calling the government to expose people who paid monies into the suspended CJN’s accounts.

One of the said, “What these PDP governors and their party still fail to realize is that, Buhari is not as corruption gratifying and clueless as the major presidents, Obasanjo and Jonathan, that they had in the past.  They fail to realize that this President has total grip of his government and that all of the evil plans and foreign meetings they do are within the ambit of his time-to-time knowledge capacity”, he said.