The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, to protect the institution of the judiciary from what it called “the unconstitutional and repressive fascist policies being foisted on the system by the President Muhammadu Buhari Presidency.”
The opposition party said “the admission by the Buhari Presidency, on Sunday, that its obnoxious Executive Order 6, as well as the travel ban and trailing of citizens, are devised to directly interfere in judicial processes and stifle accused persons of resources, under the guise of speedy trial, has left no one in doubt that the nation is fast sliding into fascism.”
A statement by it national publicity secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, which was made available to TheNiche reads:
“PDP notes that the Buhari Presidency has commenced an attack on the independence of the judiciary, using the instrument of blackmail and aspersion on its integrity and capacityto effectively and timeously dispense justice.
“In trying to use his Executive Order 6 to determine the process, procedures and progression of cases in court, the Buhari Presidency directly seeks to usurp, commandeer and appropriate the constitutional powers of the judiciary and then arm-twist the courts and use them as “slaughterhouses” for opposition members and perceived political opponents.
“We invite Nigerians to further note that the action of the Buhari Presidency is a direct attempt to suspend sections 6 (6)(b), 36 (5), (6)(d) and 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“While section 6 (6)(b) provides that judicial powers of the court shall ‘extend to all matters between persons, or between government or authority and to any person in Nigeria, and to all actions and proceedings relating thereto, for the determination of any question as to the civil rights and obligations of that person”. Section 36 (6) (d) provides that, “every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be entitled to be given adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defence”.
“Moreover, Section 36 (5) provides that, “every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proven guilty”.
“Furthermore, Section 37 stipulates that ‘the privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversation and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed and protected”.
The statement said in view of all these provisions of the country’s grundnorm, “The travel ban, trailing of citizens and attempt to regulate the processes of the court is therefore an attempt to short-circuit the constitutional powers of the judiciary and foist a fascist regime where the Presidency becomes the investigator, prosecutor and the judge in determination of trumped-up charges against innocent Nigerians.
“The PDP rejects this attempt by this administration to return our country to pre-1984 military dictatorship where siege mentality and suppression of rights of citizens was the rule rather than the exception.
“We therefore urge the Judiciary as the last hope of the common man, to immediately insulate itself from the evil machination of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is now trying to turn the judiciary into an instrument of oppression against Nigerians.”