Atiku Abubakar, presidential
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has again accused President
Muhammadu Buhari of clamping down on the judiciary.
Addressing a press conference in
Abuja on Monday, Atiku said through the suspension of Walter Onnoghen as the
chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), Buhari set a new precedent that has no
equivalence in the nation’s history, “not even in the darkest days of military
dictatorship.”
Onnoghen, who is facing trial for
alleged false assets declaration, was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari
last week.
The suspension was widely
criticised by many Nigerians. Atiku, who had earlier criticised Buhari over the
action, said it “falls squarely within the pattern of executive lawlessness”.
“Our dear country is passing
through a difficult moment. How we react to this challenge in the following
days will determine the fate of our democracy, which has been brought to great
peril by this needless crisis engineered by a government that is unwilling to
subject its conducts to the requirements of our constitution,” he said.
“I need to state that this latest
action by General Muhammadu Buhari falls squarely within the pattern of
executive lawlessness that has now been firmly turned into statecraft by the
APC government.
“The serial disregard of court
orders, and consequent violation of constitutionally guaranteed human rights of
our citizens confirms beyond all doubt that General Buhari and his government
would rather obey their own whims and operate by separate rules outside the
well-established constitutional order and the rule of law. It scarcely requires
emphasis that this behaviour is alien to democratic rule and more in line with
that of a military dictator.
“We are all witnesses to how this
government has serially assaulted the National Assembly, a separate arm of
government that represents the bastion of our democracy. However, with this
attack on the judiciary, General Buhari has set a new precedent in our
democracy that has no equivalence in our history, not even in the darkest days
of military dictatorship. This cannot be allowed to stand.”
He said while he supports the
fight against corruption, the issue at stake is whether Onnoghen’s suspension
was done “in accordance with the process specified in our constitution.”
He also asked the Buhari
administration not to interfere with the forthcoming elections.
“At this juncture, I must warn
the APC government to desist from taking actions that may push us further down
the slippery slope towards a major constitutional crisis that could derail the
electoral process,” he said.
“General Muhammadu Buhari must
remember that he is a beneficiary of a free and fair election. It is therefore
a matter of honour for him to allow a political environment and process that
gives confidence to everyone.”
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