Governors of South-South geo-political zone have described moves to arraign the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, today by the Federal Government as a demonstration of lack of respect for the people of Niger Delta, the nation’s judiciary and democracy by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The communique read: “We note that the unfortunate action against the CJN further reinforces the perception that the Buhari administration has no regard for the sentiments of Nigerians, in particular, the people of Niger Delta, and the rule of law

“It is a fact that this administration has a penchant for flagrant disobedience of and disregard for legitimate and valid court orders.

“We expect President Buhari to know that democracy cannot survive without respect for the constitution, strict adherence to the rule of law, and separation of powers as enshrined in the constitution.

“We note that the attempt to drag the CJN to the CCT is also a grave and dangerous escalation of the assault on institutions of state, including the National Assembly and the judiciary

“We believe that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, has a constitutional responsibility and huge moral obligation to defend our democracy.

“We consider this step, which is directly aimed at humiliating the nation’s highest judicial officer and a prominent son of the region as totally unacceptable as it is reflective of the South-South story of endless marginalisation and intimidation.

“The unceremonious removal of former Acting Director-General of the Department of State Service, Matthew Seiyefa, and his replacement is still very fresh.

“We strongly believe that the regrettable development at the Supreme Court at this critical time, when preparations for the general elections are wobbling (with serious concern about Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and security agencies) is capable of causing avoidable anxiety, tension and possible breakdown of law and order in the country.

“We note further that the action undermines confidence not only in the judiciary but also the electoral process that has already commenced, in view of the pivotal role the judiciary plays in the process of electoral adjudication.

They urged Onnoghen to ignore the court summon from the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, and the provocative call for his resignation in some quarters.

https://all-gists..com/2019/01/onnoghen-buhari-lack-of-respect-for-democracy-judiciary-s-south-governors.html