The Coalition of United Political
Partes, CUPP, has raised a fresh alarm over alleged ongoing plot by the
government of President Muhammadu Buhari to alter and jettison the age-long
tradition of selecting the 7 most senior Justices as members of the
Presidential Election Petition Appeal.
CUPP vowed to reject any move to
handpick Justices to seat on Atiku Abubakar’s appeal in violation of the
tradition of picking the most senior justices.
The Coalition said it will not
have confidence in a handpicked panel of Justices to hear Atiku’s appeal.
In a press conference in Abuja on
Thursday, CUPP National Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, said “As
you are already aware, the opposition consensus candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
has approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria to appeal the controversial and
unpopular judgment of the Court of Appeal which dismissed his Petition.
“By the provisions of the 4th
alteration of the 1999 constitution as amended, the Supreme Court of Nigeria
has 60 days from the date of the filing of the Notice of Appeal. These
processes have kick-started and everyone is awaiting the composition of the
names of the 7 man panel by the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“We have it on good authority
that the All Progressives Congress APC-led Federal govt has been mounting undue
pressure on the Chief Justice of the Federation and indeed the entire court to
accept a handpicked panel and jettison the age-long tradition of the Court of
selecting the most senior justices of the Supreme Court to sit on the panel.
“The disquiet and bad blood
caused by the APC in the Supreme Court now is a clear desecration of the
highest temple of justice in the land. The opposition and most Nigerians will
not accept a handpicked panel neither will the pronouncement of such panel
command the requite respect and confidence of the people of Nigeria and we in
the opposition.
“Gentlemen, the Supreme Court is
for the people, the last hope of the judiciary. The actions of the Supreme
Court must inspire national confidence and deliver not just judgment but
justice and that path to justice is not only about the law but about the
ordinary man believing that justice has been done.
“The Supreme Court is Supreme and
its words must be for the protection of the society and the people and the law.
A grave error was done at Appeal Court and the nation is waiting to see how a
man who violated the Electoral Act and was supposed to have been disqualified
managed to survive at the Appeal Court. That Court failed in both the issues of
law and issues of national interest.
“Today, corruption has been
permeated in the highest levels of the Presidency, today Nigeria is indebted
more than ever before, today suffering citizens are being taxed to death, today
there is a craze to generate revenue even at the risk of stripping citizens of
their minimal purchasing power which has almost lost all its value due to
mismanagement by this incompetent administration.
“Today, public funds are spent
without appropriation and proper accountability. Today they have increased VAT
to 7.2%. Today they tax citizens to deposit their money in banks; today they
tax citizens for withdrawal of their money. Today they ask citizens to pay
stamp duty and the money is not accounted for.
“Today citizens pay increased
electricity tariff with no reciprocal electricity supply. Today they have
borrowed money both locally and internationally more than any other government
in our history yet they cannot pay workers minimum wage. Beyond these obnoxious
policies, citizens are daily denied their basic right to freedom of expression.
“The Government has failed in its
basic duty which is the protection of lives and property. Today all parts of
the country are insecure with bandits and terrorist raping and destroying.
“The economy is bad because the
leader has no capacity to govern and has surrendered his functions to unelected
people. Citizens are charged to Court for terrorism for merely speaking out
against this misrule, while his supporters are asking for 3rd term and working
assiduously to achieve such unconstitutional ambition.
“This administration failed on
electoral reform, it failed on security, it failed on economy, it failed on the
fight against corruption, it has failed to make any worthy investment in the
health sector, it has failed to record any success in education, foreign
investments is lower than it used to be and Nigeria is daily sinking deeper
into the poverty gully and our once growing economy is now the center of
poverty in the world.
“The judiciary is daily being
emasculated. Judges are petitioned against if they rule against Government
interest, this attack on judges was carried out to silence the judiciary and
use it as a clearinghouse. Disobedience to lawful orders of the court by the
government is now the order of the day.
“The way out is in the hands of
the Supreme Court justices who will be called upon to rule in the interest of
the law, National Interest, unification and enthronement of a competent
leadership and that journey starts with the composition of the membership of
the presidential election appeal panel that will hear Atiku’s Appeal at the
Supreme court.
“We are back on this matter
because we have received reinforced intelligence that the age-long tradition of
the composition of a panel made of up of experienced justices based on their
seniority is about to be breached. This complaint is a painful road we would
have avoided for the image of the Supreme Court but knowing the desperation of
the people and their hate for decency and order we cannot keep quiet knowing
they regard the people with disdain.
“We hereby alert the nation once
again and in a loud voice that there is still ongoing plot engineered and being
pushed by allies of the ruling APC who know that it will be difficult if not
impossible in law for the president to escape a fair and neutral adjudication
of the Appeal without consequences and hence the desperation to breach the
age-long tradition of most senior justices sitting in the appeal at the Supreme
Court.
“Let us say it here, all the
justices of the Supreme Court are eminently qualified but in view of the trying
times where lawlessness and breach of procedure are now common and with rampaging
power mongers willing to capture all state institutions of governance in a bid
to sustain a tainted presidential mandate, the opposition rejects and will not
support any move to tamper with the age-long order of seniority which have been
in practice since 1979 till date and used in selecting most senior justices of
supreme court who sits on election dispute panels at the supreme court.
“We said these knowing that we
were all here when we screamed few days to the election about the
military-styled forceful removal of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria and
installation of another against express orders of Court that restrained him and
that it was for a day like this. The Buhari APC knew that it will rig the
election and worked ahead to attempt to destabilize and intimidate our courts.
“The opposition wants this
age-long tradition of composing presidential election dispute panel in order of
seniority maintained because we do not trust the altering of the seniority list
under a Buhari led APC Federal Government. They and some institutions have not
earned our trust in this dispute to reclaim our mandate.
“The opposition is calling on
Nigerians and all lovers of democracy and freedom; If you are sleeping, WAKE
UP! If you are eating, STOP! The time to stand again at the barricade to save
Nigeria is now. If they destroy the confidence we have in our Supreme Court in
a bid to keep a nonperforming leader in office, our nation is finished and we
must stand up and speak out before we are all consumed.”
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