CJN Onnoghen: How PDP described suit against Chief Justice

The Peoples Democratic Party's Presidential Campaign Organization
(PPCO) Monday described the move by President Muhammadu Buhari and the
All Progressives Congress (APC) to forcefully remove the Chief Justice
of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen as autocratic and an assault
against the judiciary.

It also said the Buhari presidency manifested the autocratic
attributes in a bid to rig the forthcoming general elections.

The party's spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan said this in a statement in Abuja.

He said, "The Buhari Presidency and the APC, in this venture, have
exposed their desperation to subdue and annex the judiciary,
particularly, following increasing agitation by Nigerians for the
prosecution of President Buhari's cronies and APC leaders over exposed
corruption.

"The Buhari Presidency and APC in turning around to fight Nigerians
have further exposed their desperation to replace Justice Onnoghen
with a pliable CJN, who will execute their plots to use the courts to
detain opposition leaders as well as vocal members of the Civil
Society during the elections.

"It is now crystal clear to all Nigerians that apart from failing
woefully in all its promises, the APC and its presidential candidate,
President Buhari, are beginning to manifest their autocratic
attributes.

Further more, Ologbondiyan affirmed that it was despicable that the
presidency and the APC rather than retracing their steps from the
ignoble act against the CJN, after the "spontaneous public outrage
that trailed the shameful act, they are attempting to blackmail
Nigerians, who condemned the assault on the judiciary, as being
sympathetic to corruption.

The opposition party maintained that the Buhari presidency was not
only corrupt but has become an asylum for corrupt people.

It is on this premise that the PPCO challenged the APC and the Buhari
Presidency to name one APC member that has been investigated,
prosecuted or arraigned before any court of competent jurisdiction in
the last three and half years in spite of their humongous corruption.

Also, Ologbondiyan averred that If for anything, President Muhammadu
Buhari has "encouraged corruption in our nation more than any
President that had the privilege of governing our country, Nigeria."

The party's spokesman added, "It is important to restate that the
Buhari Presidency is now a refugee camp for known and well-advertised
faces of corruption.

"From the factional National Chairman of the APC, the co-chairman of
the Buhari campaign Organization, the Director General of the Buhari
Campaign, the zonal directors and the recent entrants from Bauchi and
Gombe states, all leaders of the APC and Buhari campaign structure are
all candidates of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

"We, therefore, charge Nigerians not to be deterred by the attacks by
the Buhari Presidency, which has since become desperate and
anti-people following its rejection by Nigerians because of its
corruption, incompetence and insensitivity to the plights of our
citizens".