S’South govs’ position on Onnoghen most painful thing I’ve experienced —El-Rufai

Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai has described the position of South-South governors on the travails of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen, as the most painful experience he has had in the last two weeks.

He also said that President Muhammadu Buhari needs not to know all prosecutions that go on in Nigeria, adding that the claim that Buhari does not know about the prosecution is a compliment to the president and shows he does not interfere with the institution so much.

The Federal Government had accused Onnoghen of failure to declare his assets and dragged him to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

In their response, South-South governors frowned at the development and called on the CJN to shun arraignment at the CCT.

But speaking on a Channels Television programme In Thursday morning, the governor decried the position his South-South colleagues took on the Onnoghen matter, describing it as disheartening.

“One of the most painful things I have experienced in the last two weeks, was the statement by the governors of the South-south, justifying that non-declaration of assets is nothing, is a non-issue because the Chief Justice of Nigeria is from the South-South.

“Wrong is wrong and right should be right, and as such, leaders should advise that we can’t do it all the time, sometimes it’s not black and white, it’s a bit of grey, but we must stand for something that is right”, he said.

On claims that Buhari was aware of the CJN’s case, he said Nigerians should be worried if the president keeps records of all cases going on in and around the country.

He added, that Nigerians must stop personalising institutions, and wondered why the president should know about the prosecution of anyone.

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“Institutions should be allowed to work. We should stand up to protect the integrity of the institution” he said, adding that the constitution was clear as to the declaration of assets.

“Saying that the president doesn’t know is a compliment to the president, it shows that he does not interfere with the institution so much and he doesn’t get involved in this,” he said.

According to the Kaduna governor, Nigerians should stand up for what is right, refrain from being legalistic, ethnic and religious if the country must progress.

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