[size=13pt]Salami: Jonathan under fire[/size]
By Niyi Odebode, Olusola Fabiyi, Olamilekan Lartey, Olalekan Adetayo and Segun Olatunji


The Action Congress of Nigeria and the Congress for Progressive Change, on Monday took a swipe at President Goodluck Jonathan, for approving the suspension of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami.


The two political parties, the Campaign for Democracy and the Transition Monitoring Group described the President’s action and appointment of an Acting PCA, Justice Dalhatu Adamu, as unconstitutional.


They also said that Jonathan had started following the footsteps of his mentor, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose administration, they said, was notorious for the violation of the rule of law.


The northern socio-political group, the Arewa Consultative Forum, also described Salami’s suspension as the continuation of “Kabukabu (macabre) dance” in the judiciary.


On his part, former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar called for an adherence to the constitution in the resolution of the crisis in the judiciary.


It’s repudiation of oath – ACN


The ACN, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accused Jonathan of violating his oath of office, saying that the President’s action amounted to a repudiation of the oath he took to protect the constitution.


It added that the action confirmed the rumour making the rounds that the President might have been secretly pushing for the removal of Salami through “some hawks in the NJC.”


The ACN said the President’s action could be linked to fears that the petition by the CPC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, in the appeal court, might go against him (Jonathan).


It stated, “Indications are that the unequivocal action of the Nigeria Bar Association jolted the President to act quickly to effect Justice Salami’s removal, in line with the prepared script.’’


The party said President Jonathan exhibited “executive recklessness” when he acted on an issue that was pending before a court.


The ACN added, “Section 238 which the President relied on to remove Justice Salami and appoint an Acting President of the Court of Appeal deals with the appointment of President and Justices of the Court of Appeal if the office is vacant.


‘’Section 292 of the constitution deals with the removal of top judicial officers, including the President of the Court of Appeal. In accordance with this section, the President can only remove any of the listed officers, acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate. In other words, it is not even the President, but the Senate, that can initiate the process upon the recommendation of the NJC.


“By rushing to remove Justice Salami on the strength of Section 238, the President has committed the same faux pas as the NJC clique and violated the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has filled a post in which no vacancy exists, and has allowed himself to be guided by political expediency, rather than the provisions of the Constitution.”


ACN said the crisis caused by the face-off between Salami and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, provided the best opportunity for President Jonathan “to show his strength of character and leadership qualities. On both counts, the President fell short of expectation.


“President Jonathan’s not-well-thought-out action will have a far-reaching effect on the judiciary and the entire country, and will largely define his presidency. He may not have thought about this before he rushed into action.”


Condemning Jonathan, the CPC also said the presidential assent to the suspension of the PCA was a gross disregard for the rule of law.


Removal contrived


– CPC


The CPC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, stated the removal of the PCA had been “contrived from the Presidency.”


Fashakin said the Jonathan administration had begun to demonstrate the impunity associated with the Olusegun Obasanjo era.


“What we are seeing is the impunity associated with the Peoples Democratic Party. Jonathan is an off-shoot of Obasanjo who was an imperial president in his own time. How could eight members of a 23-member body ever form a quorum? Without doubt, President Jonathan was enthusiastic in implementing the illegal NJC action because he is the greatest beneficiary of this malfeasance,” he said.


Fashakin said Salami’s hurried removal was to allow a judge sympathetic to the PDP to head the Court of Appeal.


“The CPC presidential election petition pending before Salami has taken a decisive turn that is causing sleepless nights to the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission and Jonathan. It is only a ‘pliable’ judge that can remove them from this quagmire. That explains why Salami had to be eased out,” he added.


The CPC warned that the “latest rape on the rule of law” would throw the nation into a needless crisis.


The party noted that the NJC lacked the powers to suspend Salami in the first place in order to create the vacancy which the president exploited to make the acting appointment under Section 234 (4).


“The truth is, only a biased bench can save Jonathan’s presidency at the resumed hearing of the petition which explains the frenetic activity of the President and the pliable Katsina-Alu’s NJC in the matter,” Fashakin said.


Kabukabu dance in the judiciary – ACF


Condemning Salami’s removal, ACF, which spoke through its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sane, stated, “The suspension of Justice Salami is a culmination of a kabukabu dance the nation’s judiciary has forced the country to watch for the past six months and a blithe disregard for the public confidence and trust in the legal system of the whole country.


“The NJC knows that its responsibility includes inspiring public confidence in the judiciary. The council knows also all the issues involved and must take action that will restore confidence and trust of Nigerians in the nation’s judiciary.”


Criticising Jonathan, the Chairman of the TNG, Mr. Mashood Erubami, stated that civil rights groups would join the NBA to fight what he described as an act of illegality.


He said, “We are against this development. We see it as a way of ridiculing the judiciary. The government and the NJC are doing this to please those who want Salami to be removed because they are not pleased with some of the steps he had taken.


“We will work together with the NBA on this issue. We will wait for the association to release its action plan on this.


“We will teach them that Nigerians must always have their say and way against the people that are misruling us.”


President’s action is dangerous – CD


Also, the CD president, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, has described the President’s action as alarming and dangerous to the country’s democracy.


“One is alarmed that in spite of all problems facing us as a nation, like insecurity and poverty, with a lightning speed, the President went ahead to uphold this lawlessness and illegality and judicial gangsterism by the NJC by appointing Adamu in an acting capacity,” she stated.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110823643192

Reno Bemigho Omokri aka BEAF come and defend your clueless clownish presido.

^^^^ are you sure dis is beaf's real name.

http://www.buildupnigeria.com/about

100%!

Yeah! i guess internet is no more secure.

Aare 1:

^^^^ are you sure dis is beaf's real name.

http://www.buildupnigeria.com/about

I will be watching as the events unfolds. Jonathan's Counsels in the ongoing Presidential Tribunal, dragged CPC to the Supreme Court, for filing their case on a sunday. Now, the same clueless Jonathan appended his signature on this illegality on a Sunday. Who is fooling who? The more they expose their desperation for power, the more they shoot themselves on their feet. I am watching.

Where is BEEEEAAAAF

Section 238 ?! Section 292 !?

How do you expect Beaf to defend this except by saying the number "2" starts both section 238 and 292 and so they are the same?

Its rather obvious PDP & "free and fair" presido know the elections were so badly compromised that they dare not allow truth come out. Else why this farce?

Truly Fresh Fart! But this will be their undoing

It is Obvious now that PDP does not actualy won the presidential seat. Odechukwu is building the ground for another round of crisis. Time wil tel. Enjoy ur fresh air!

it is obious now, [img]http://2.s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]
[img]http://s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]

Thumbs up to Rhino for digging up Beaf's true name
Now Beaf will not show up on this thread bc he is been unmasked.

As for GEJ, this is d beginning of the errors that will lead to his downfall
This thing is more serious than I thought.

This is Fresh Air

I never wore a shoe in my life, now am illegally signing out a CJ

I am one of you, but em, I no send you

(culled from this declaration speech in Abuja, 2010)

Nice to see a vocal opposition for a change

Re: Salami: ACN, CPC, CD and TMG Put Jonathan Under Fire

GMcompere:

This is Fresh Air

I never wore a shoe in my life, now am illegally signing out a CJ

I am one of you, but em, I no send you

(culled from this declaration speech in Abuja, 2010)

LOL from Mr GEJ " i HAVE no shoes or a brain " [b][/b]

LOL from Mr GEJ " i HAVE no shoes or a brain "

You are on point man!

it is time for us to knw that,we voted for obasanjo but many think they voted for gej, no no no is obj

agree[img]http://2.s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]
[img]http://s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]

i think i can now support the allegation of the CPC that the suspension of Justice salami was aimed at frustrating their pending tribunal, isn't this obvious?

Northern bigots, Empty barrels make the loudest notice. ACN or CPC can not put GEJ under fire.I noticed that most of the posters are abokis who are still crying over the massive rejection of their fanatical and Blood sucker uncle Buhari who mastermind the killing of our young corper members hiding under the removal of corrupt Salami to argue their ill fated lost rejection at the pools.

You will all recalled that Salami has not been able to defend himself about the Call logs which ACN his paymaster has continue to claimed it is fake.I am sure so many of you posters will hide your face when the Nigeria Security agency release the outcome of their Investigation on those call logs.

The problems with Nigeria is that we seems not to know where we need help.Salami is another distraction.Let us focus on our politicians and demand the dividends of Democracy according to their manifestos.Let Salami carry his cross.He has billions of Naira stock in his foreign account from Bola Tinubu and his ACN cohorts who have glaring shown that there Salami is in their boy who they need to defend.

i think i can now support the allegation of the CPC that the suspension of Justice salami was aimed at frustrating their pending tribunal, isn't this obvious?

This is the inherent truth that everyone is afraid to speak on.

Fresh Air  

teskyg

You will all recalled that Salami has not been able to defend himself about the Call logs which ACN his paymaster has continue to claimed it is fake.I am sure so many of you posters will hide your face when the Nigeria Security agency release the outcome of their Investigation on those call logs.

Guy, where have you been, MTN already confirmed that the Logs did no originate from them. http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110610482360

Bring up another issue if you have any.

Fresh Air

What power have ACN, CPC and TMG got to put GEJ under fire. Some positions people take are just ridiculous beyond words.
Those parties are only fighting because they are scared that their manipulation of the judiciary is about to be thoroughly exposed. The old way of doing things is gone forever and the country is firmly on the path to lawfulness and development for the very first time in our history.

The judiciary should be like a holy place, a place imbued with gravitas, moral and intellectual weight; not a place staffed with controversial characters. It should be devoid of politics and the comedic actions of interested parties like ACN and CPC that would do anything, including killing youth corpers in their wild-eyed desperation for power. But Nigeria is changing, and these days the constitution is king.

Beaf:

What power have ACN, CPC and TMG got to put GEJ under fire. Some positions people take are just ridiculous beyond words.
Those parties are only fighting because they are scared that their manipulation of the judiciary is about to be thoroughly exposed. The old way of doing things is gone forever and the country is firmly on the path to lawfulness and development for the very first time in our history.

The judiciary should be like a holy place, a place imbued with gravitas, moral and intellectual weight; not a place staffed with controversial characters. It should be devoid of politics and the comedic actions of interested parties like ACN and CPC that would do anything, including killing youth corpers in their wild-eyed desperation for power. But Nigeria is changing, and these days the constitution is king.

I know where you are coming from, after reading this "brilliant" article (http://saharareporters.com/article/get-better-not-bitter-response-malam-el-rufai-president-jonathan) and the responses of Nigerians to it, I have no choice than to express my near-total amusement at your ability to be so deceitful. If deceitfulness was an Olympic sport, you would probably have 10 Gold medals by now.

Salami is not bigger than Nigeria.The ACN  and CPC did not appoint him as the President of the Appeal Court the in the First place and so should not be responsible for the agitation for his continue stay in office to cover up their shady pacts with him.

We all worked in Corporate organization and we are sometime moved around to other units.He has behave in such in an unprofessional manner by refusing promotion to the Supreme Court .This is unheard of in  history .An act of Insubordination.His Sins are many.To hell with ACN,

teskyg:

Salami is not bigger than Nigeria.The ACN and CPC did not appoint him as the President of the Appeal Court the in the First place and so should not be responsible for the agitation for his continue stay in office to cover up their shady pacts with him.

We all worked in Corporate organization and we are sometime moved around to other units.He has behave in such in an unprofessional manner by refusing promotion to the Supreme Court .This is unheard of in history .An act of Insubordination.His Sins are many.To hell with ACN,

It is unprecedented too for Appeal court president to move to Supreme court and become a junior member, they always retire as President of Appeal Court. Law profession as rule.
Appointment in Judiciary is mostly based on seniority not so much a political arrangement. If you ask, the line up for CJN up next 10 may have been complied by now.

@ Remmi.Who appointed Salami as the President the First Place.Did he put himself there?Maybe you are in the Legal Profession .Please shed more light on who has the constitutional right to either appoint or recommend an Appeal Court President.

I am sure you are an employee of an Organization.Do you have the choice to refuse redeployment to any unit of your Organization?

I careless about what Jonathan does anymore,

Problem i have with the judiciary is that either CJ or PCA lied on oath regarding the case of Sokoto election tribunal. Which of them lied, or was PCA removed because he told the truth about the Sokoto case?