OnnoghenGate: 200 NGOs protest, tell Buhari, “We are behind you against corrupt judiciary” as NBA boycott shunned in Lagos

The “Onnoghen Must Go” protests continue in Nigeria’s economic nerve centre, Lagos, on Wednesday with FONGON, a group that claims to represent over 200 Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), saying corrupt Judge is worse than terminal disease.

This was as courts, particularly at Igbosere, on the Island of Lagos held sittings with lawyers attending to their clients cases.

Lawyers on Tuesday across the country had largely kicked against directives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to boycott court proceeds in solidarity with an allegedly corrupt Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen who was suspended last Friday by President Muhammadu Buhari on the order of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

Buhari had since appointed Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

FONGON’s convener, Mr. Wole Badmus, said without minding whose ox is gored, the groups he led were declaring their support for President Buhari in his effort to help Nigeria tackle their age long complex problem of Judiciary corruption.

“Without minding those who are talking, without minding whose ox is gored, we are saying a corrupt Judge is worse than a terminal disease, a corrupt Judge will kill a healthy nation.  We want to tell President Buhari that we are behind him on this suspension of Onnoghen and that come February 16, we will go to polls to vote him to continue his job against the corrupt elements in our country,” the FONGON lead convener said.

Also lead convener of another protest in support of the Onnoghen’s suspension on Wednesday, Mr. Uche Diala, said: “We are saying today that we are behind President Buhari on the decision against Onnoghen.  We are saying enough of jankara judgment in our nation’s judiciary system.”