A Lagos State lawmaker, Mr Segun Olulade, on Monday said that the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, was a step closer to democratic justice and in the best interest of Nigerians.
Olulade, a member representing Epe Constituency II in the Lagos State House of Assembly, said this in a statement he issued in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Onnoghen, charged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on January 14 with offences bordering on non declaration of assets, was suspended on Friday.
Justice Tanko Mohammed, the next in seniority rank, was made the Acting CJN by President Muhammadu Buhari and this has been greeted with criticisms and protests by some individuals and groups
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Olulade said that without discovering and uncovering the ills harboured by the suspended CJN, Nigeria’s democracy, which clocked 20 years this year, would have been truncated by the greed of one man.
The lawmaker, a former Chairman, House Committee on Information, congratulated Nigerians for the revelations about the suspended CJN.
“It is sad enough to see someone who is the custodian of the nation’s law wanting in a manner not excusable before the law, a situation that puts our entire judicial system in a mess and questionable.
“The doctrine of necessity will not allow Onnoghen to stay in the exalted office to preside over cases emanating from the coming general elections.
“This situation poses threat on free and fair election in the country,” Olulade said.
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While commending the security agents for a thorough job done in the process, Olulade urged the international community to be more interested in condemning corrupt public servants.
He said that so many public servants had laundered the nation’s commonwealth into the Western Nations at the expense of common citizens who, he said, were wallowing in poverty and hardship.
According to him, members of the international community, especially the UK, U.S. and EU, must be tough on corrupt public servants in Nigeria and stop feeling comfortable harbouring stolen wealth into their countries.
“The West needs to be hard on corrupt leaders and public servants to show fairness and justification for having opinions on actions against corrupt practices in Nigeria,” Olulade added.
He thanked the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for its steadfastness on anti-corruption crusade.
He said that the nation would overpower the cabals fighting against the progress of the nation.
”This is a fight between the force of light and darkness, and obviously the light shall overpower darkness in the end.
“The people need to lend their supports to President Buhari to come out successful at cleaning the nation of the mess of corruption it was plunged into over-time,” he said. (NAN)