Opposition parties raise alarm over FG plot against Onnoghen, NJC to be executed Monday

Opposition political parties under the umbrella of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has alerted of fresh plots against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the National Judicial Council (NJC), by the Federal Government.

The coalition said on Sunday that security operatives have been instructed to use all means possible to see that the NJC is coerced, harassed to make sure it indicts the CJN and set the acting CJN, Justice Tanko Mohammed free from all allegations against him when the body meets on Monday.

The NJC is meeting on Monday to consider the answers to the queries issued to Onnoghen and Mohammed.

But the CUPP, in a statement said it had obtained credible intelligence that a combined team of security agents has been approved by the Presidency to cordon off the venue of the NJC meeting to carry out the plot against the CJN and the NJC.

According to first spokesman of CUPP, Imo Ugochinyere, who made the statement available to newsmen, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and another senior officer from the Department of State Services (DSS) are to coordinate the operation.

“The security agents are to claim that there is intelligence of a possible breach of security which would warrant the increased security.

“They are to coax, coerce and show some members their unfavourable security reports to get them to do the bidding of the government.

“This latest decision was informed by the fact that the Federal Government is aware that the Nigerian opposition has obtained further evidence to prove that the removal of Justice Walter Onnoghen from office by President Buhari is merely for political purpose having failed in a bid to recruit the CJN to support the APC and use the exalted office of the Chief Justice to unduly favour the Party and the President in the post 2019 Supreme Court election petition appeals. Knowing that they do not have anything on the CJN, they have resorted to strong-arm tactics, intimidation and harassment.

“It has come to light that the Interim Investigation Report which was intercepted by the opposition was actually a report of a former investigation by the EFCC which was found to have no merit and which was discarded but was now doctored by the EFCC Chairman and submitted to the President as a purported indictment of the CJN.

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“A copy of the statement issued by the former spokesperson of the Commission on September 6, 2017 clearly showed that the EFCC had investigated the CJN following his appointment as Acting CJN and had discarded the petitions after full investigations.

“The Chairman of EFCC is simply framing the CJN in a bid to help shield the Presidency from the obvious unconstitutional act of the removal of the CJN,” Ugochinyere said.

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