ONNOGHEN’S SUSPENSION: Opposition parties run to UN, AU to rebuke Buhari

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has petitioned the United Nations and the African Union Commission complaining about President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen.

A similar letter was also written by a coalition of pro-democracy groups in Nigeria. The two groups pleaded with the bodies to intervene in the Onnoghen matter and ensure President Buhari reverses the suspension of the CJN.

CUPP’s letter, dated January 27, 2019, was signed by its first spokesmen, Imo Ugochinyere.

The groups, in copies of the letters made available to newsmen on Wednesday commended the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union for identifying with Nigerians on the matter.

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“We humbly request the intervention of your good office in rebuking and seeking the reversal of President Muhammadu Buhari’s dictatorial ‘suspension’ of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria in stark contravention of the Nigerian constitution.

“As it appears to every reasonable man, the ‘suspension’ and ‘replacement’ of Justice Walter Onnoghen is to activate a backdoor mechanism for the successful rigging of the general elections in Nigeria by turning the judiciary into a rubber stamp to legitimise any rigging perpetrated, particularly with President Buhari’s cousin in the top hierarchy of the national electoral body.

“Our plea is concise and definite: please stand with us and with the good people of Nigeria in the trying days ahead,” CUPP letter read.

President Donald Trump of US and Donald Tusk of European Council, were commended in the letters for raising concerns over the situation in Nigeria.

They pleaded with them to ignore what they called the ranting of the Buhari administration “and see it as an attempt by a dictatorial regime that has lost the goodwill of the people to desperately hang on to power.”

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