The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) are plotting to kill Nigerian democracy with the plan to prosecute the Chief Justice of the country, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
The party warned both President Buhari and his party to desist from any action that could truncate the nation’s democracy.
The National Vice Chairman (South West) of the party, Dr Eddy Olafeso in a statement issued by the Zonal Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Ayo Fadaka, said the PDP was disturbed by the actions of Buhari ahead of the next general elections.
Olafeso said “we take due cognisance of the plan to prosecute the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal over an alleged curious infraction; we also note that the arrowhead of the petition is a one-time aide of President Mohammed Buhari.
“This action is being anchored on the continuing war against corrupt practices, a war in itself curious in prosecution and selective implementation.
“We, however, believe that this action is not isolated from challenges currently being encountered by institutions saddled with responsibilities to be of essence in the forthcoming elections.
“Lately, the issue of obnoxious INEC guidelines for the elections continue to dominate political discuss as 91 political parties continue to cry foul over issues contained therein that are believed to be capable of compromising elections, more so against the background of President Buhari’s veto of the electoral act.
“The failure of the president to also allow the retiring Inspector General of Police to vacate the office for another officer is also a threat to free and fair elections in view of the records of the outgoing Inspector General of Police in all elections conducted so far, since he assumed the position.
“We believe that these aforementioned issues constitute major planks in the rigging plans of the APC, with a compromised INEC, an unprofessional and partisan police management, there remains no hope that the elections will be free and fair.
“Therefore, in that situation, the judiciary remains the only hope for the sanitisation of the process and the APC government of President Buhari is now clandestinely planning to behead the judiciary and emasculate it.
“This prosecution of the CJN is politically-motivated and calculated towards perfecting the evil plan to return President Buhari back to office irrespective of the electoral expressions of Nigerians in the forthcoming elections.
“We, however, want to warn that the ambitions of a man and his party must not be implemented at the expense of the peace and tranquility of our dear nation. We also want to remind the APC and President Buhari that there was a sitting President who lost the election to him and was patriotic enough not to seek to put the health of the nation at risk.
“Nigerians will not tolerate any unholy attempt to rig the elections and even coerce the judiciary to do its bidding.
“We, therefore, call on the CJN to bear this trial with equanimity and refuse to resign his position in the interest of the nation.
“Nigeria is a nation currently under attack from forces that seek to impose upon her a clandestine agenda that is capable of bringing unimaginable destruction upon our nation. The peace and tranquility of the nation which is largely absent now should be the concern of a patriotic leadership and not playing tricks geared at perpetuating it in power at the expense of the nation,” he added
