PDP, SDP, 65 other parties demand reversal of Onnoghen’s suspension

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and 65 other political parties have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately reverse the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen.

Buhari had on Friday suspended Onnoghen and appointed Justice Tanko Muhammed to act in his place.

Buhari claimed that his action was sequel to an order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to suspend Onnoghen pending the determination of case of asset declaration fraud leveled against him before the tribunal.

But the 67 political parties including the PDP and SDP in a joint document endorsed by all of them, and made available to newsmen on Monday, described the suspension as “illegal, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.”

They, therefore, called on Buhari to immediately do the right thing and reverse the suspension.

“We emphatically state here that the purported suspension of the CJN is unequivocally illegal, indefensible and thus unconstitutional.

“The improper process adopted by President Mohammadu Buhari, in suspending the CJN and in appointing Justice Tanko Mohammed as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, is seen by a majority of Nigerians as based on an improperly obtained Order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, thus making it illegal.

“Furthermore, it is unconstitutional because it violates and goes against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Painfully, the actions of President Buhari is intended and contrived to precipitate a constitutional crisis in our dear country and further polarize Nigeria unnecessarily.

“It should be noted that the office of the CJN is not a ministerial position, rather it is a creation of Sections 230 (1) (a) and 231 (1) & (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That office, the CJN, is the head of an independent arm of our tripartite government.

“It should also be noted that the removal of the CJN is addressed in our Constitution in Section 292, wherein a strict process is outlined and must be followed. Generally, the three independent arms of the government must be involved in both instances of appointment and removal of the CJN.

“Thus, the president, in acting alone and unilaterally, lacks the power and authority to suspend the Chief Justice of the Federation.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: CJN Onnoghen’s office sealed by Police, staff ejected

“President Buhari’s purported suspension of the CJN in reliance on the improperly obtained and improperly issued Order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which is actually under the Executive Branch, is to put it mildly, wrong, misplaced, ill-conceived and deserving of immediate reversal.

“It is very distressing that the timing of this illegal act by President Buhari, being so close to the upcoming general elections, has brought suspicion to the intent of the President regarding the fairness of the forthcoming general elections and possibly tainted the elections dispute resolution process, such as the creation of election dispute tribunals.

“As political parties, we, therefore, reject this illegal act of the President and the unwarranted attack on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We therefore call on President Buhari to immediately rescind his illegal suspension of the CJN so as to avoid further harm to our nascent democratic institutions,” the document read.

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