PRESS RELEASE
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday rejected in its entirety what it described as “the attempts by President Muhammadu Buhari to foist an illegal Chief Justice on the nation while the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen is still in office.”
The opposition party said it “firmly holds that such impunity cannot stand, as Nigeria is a nation governed by law and not by the whims and caprices of a dictatorial leader. President Buhari wants to ruin our country and we
will never allow him.”
The PDP said in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, that “Nigerians must reject the incendiary move by President Buhari to forcefully suspend our constitution, annex the judicial arm of government and open the nation up for full-blown totalitarianism to achieve his self-succession bid, having realized that he cannot win in
the 2019 general election.”
“President Buhari’s action in attempting to unilaterally appoint a Chief
Justice and foist him on our country is a direct invitation to anarchy,
national confusion and a monumental crisis capable of derailing our
democracy and destroying our corporate existence as a nation.
“It is now clear to the world that President Buhari, in his selfish
self-succession bid, is out to cause mayhem in our nation and truncate
the smooth conduct of the 2019 election, not minding the consequential
human and material losses.
“There can be no two Chief Justices of Nigeria. Our constitution is clear
on how a Chief Justice is appointed and removed as such does not lie on
the prerogative of the President. As such, we urge all Nigerians and the
international community to recognize only Justice Walter Onnoghen as the
Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“Furthermore, the PDP invites the international community and
particularly the United States and the United Kingdom to note that this
assault on the judiciary is geared towards subverting the 2019 general
elections and as such immediately list President Buhari and APC leaders
for proposed sanctions on election riggers and perpetrators of violence
in the general election.
“The world already knows how the Buhari administration has been trying to compromise the electoral process, including the refusal to sign the
amendment to the Electoral Act, as well as the foisting of Mr. President’s relation by marriage, Mrs. Amina Zakari to coordinate the collation of Presidential election results.
“The PDP wants President Buhari to know that this nation belongs to all
Nigerians. Our nation is a democratic state governed by the constitution
and the law and Nigerians will never allow anybody to appropriate
rulership to himself outside the dictates of the law.
“President Buhari tried to forcefully remove the leadership of the
National Assembly and failed. His attempt to annex the judiciary and
impose a Chief Justice that will surrender the judiciary to him, is also
already dead on arrival.
“Finally, the PDP calls on the National Assembly to immediately reconvene
and proceed with legislative actions against President Buhari for this
gross misconduct.”