Onnoghen: Nigeria no longer a democratic nation – Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki, says by unilaterally suspending the Chief Justice Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, without following the provisions of the Constitution, President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a dangerous signal to the entire world that Nigeria is no longer a democratic nation and that we have returned to the old, jaded era of military dictatorship.

President Buhari had suspended Onnoghen following an order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Friday, appointing Justice Tanko Muhammed in acting capacity.

Reacting to the decision on Friday, Saraki, who strongly condemned the suspension of the CJN, urged President Buhari to reverse the decision immediately to avoid a constitutional crisis

He said the action by the President is an action capable of undermining the nation’s judiciary, subverting the Constitution, intimidating judges, and creating uncertainty in the electoral process.

“The Constitution provides a clear process for the removal of the CJN and specifies the roles of the three arms of government, beginning from the National Judicial Council (NJC), the National Assembly and lastly, the Presidency — all have different roles to play in that process.

“I do not know where the President and his advisers got this idea of suspending the CJN on the so-called order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal but this is novel, disingenuous and alien to our laws.

“It is strange that President Buhari is claiming to be taking orders from a Tribunal which has been ordered by a superior court to halt all actions on the trial. With this action, President Buhari has initiated a process the consequence of which no one can predict. He has precipitated a Constitutional crisis.

While charging all Nigerians to resist the decision, Saraki said all democratic institutions in the country, the international community and democrats across the world should rise against this blatant act of impunity.

“We must jointly condemn this retrogressive, uncivilized and despotic measure. I call on President Buhari to immediately reverse this decision and allow the due process of the law to take its natural course,” he said.