“Dragging CJN to CCT, a dangerous attempt to truncate nation’s democracy”-Ijaw Youths

Ijaw Youths under the aegis of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has warned the President Buhari’s led federal government not to play politics with the judiciary by dragging the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for failure to declare his assets.

According to the IYC, though nobody is above the law, the action is part of the political scheming towards the 2019 elections. We consider such political scheming to remove the sitting CJN for political convenience as dangerous and capable of truncating the nation’s hard fought democracy. 

The IYC, in a statement issued yesterday via email and signed by the President, Comrade Eric Omare, stated that it is wrong to play politics with the nation’a judiciary.

According to the statement, “The entire circumstances leading to the preparation of charges and planned arraignment is highly suspicious. From the records, the petition was submitted on the 9th of January, 2019 and two days after the Code of Conduct Bureau had already completed its investigation, prepare and filed charges preparatory to formal arraignment”

“These hurrried steps call to question the sincerity of purpose in the planned arraignment; whereas court order to investigate the tenure of the national chairman of the ruling party for graft are not obeyed.

Though the IYC concede that nobody is above the law and the CJN also do not enjoy immunity, however, the federal government must strictly act within the confines of the law in its anti corrutpion crusade.”

“It is now established that the procedure for removing and disciplining judicial officers lie within the powers of the National Judicial Council (NJC). So why the hurried planned arraignment of Justice Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in the light of the established precedent. The entire circumstances of the planned arraignment of Justice Onnoghen raises alot of question marks.”

“Consequently, we call on President Buhari to stop the planned politically motivated humiliation of the judiciary by the arriaignment of Justice Onnoghen and save our democracy. Those who were part and parcel of and romancing with the military who countless Nigerians suffered to restore democracy should not try to truncate our democracy.”

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