As Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau gets ready to arraign the nation’s chief justice, six governors of the south-south region where Justice Walter Onnoghen comes from, have come together to take action.
“It is a grave and dangerous escalation, coming a few weeks to the general elections,” said Bayelsa’s Governor Seriake Dickson in a statement Saturday night.
The meeting is scheduled for Sunday in Abuja while the arraignment comes up Monday.
Onnoghen has been accused of by a whistleblower of improper declaration of assets, leading to six charges against him as a public office holder.
The CJN has denied all allegations against him, claiming he forgot to update the declaration when he was confirmed CJN.
Onnoghen comes from Rivers, and the ruling party , some critics insinuate, might be targeting the top jurist for the likelihood of sympathizing with the PDP—the dominant party in the south-south region except Edo—in the forthcoming election.
The Nigeria Bar Association has described the development as ill-timed, considering the 2019 general elections coming up in four weeks’ time.
It took President Muhammadu Buhari a long while to approve Onnoghen appointment as CJN in 2017. Many took the indecision for some ethnic agenda until Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, as acting president, forwarded the justice name to the NASS.