SECONDUS TO BUHARI: Stop attacking the judiciary

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop trying to intimidate the nation’s judiciary.

He also accused the President of unwarranted attacks on former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen on Tuesday.

President Buhari had, while hosting some Yoruba leaders at the Presidential Villa, criticized the judiciary and also justified his removal of Onnoghen as CJN.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his media adviser, Ike Abonyi, the PDP chair described this comment as the President’s continued show of hostile behaviour to the nation’s judiciary.

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Secondus urged the President to rather focus his attention on his “stinking executive”, adding that his aversion to the judiciary is becoming very apparent, dangerous and antithetical to democratic norms.

“The President has continued to bemoan his past with the judiciary by displaying his unconcealed anger and unforgiving desire to take a pound of flesh on them”, Secondus added.

According to the party chair, the motive behind the President’s endless attacks on the judiciary, particularly his often repeated ordeal with the courts were strategically designed to cow the judges into submission to his undemocratic desires.

The party chairman pointed out that among Buhari’s audience when he was lampooning the judiciary, were persons whose questionable source of wealth is not unknown, yet he pretends not to be aware because it favours his political interest.

“We all know it as a fact that the motive of the President in his countless berating of the judiciary at the slightest moment is deliberately designed to frighten them, take away their confidence and force them to submit to his wishes by intimidation”, Secondus said.

He described as preposterous and highly unacceptable the President’s continuous ridiculing of the highly revered arm of government just because the judges did not dance to his selfish tune at some point.

Secondus urged all lovers of democracy in the country to rise up in defence of the judiciary, which he said, gets bashings from an executive arm that seeks absolute power from the back door.

He noted that the double standards apparent in the administration of President Buhari comes glaringly when he ceaselessly berates the judiciary but turns blind eye to alleged monumental corruption going on in the executive arm.

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