Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has lauded the international community for standing with the Nigerians on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former Vice President who criticised those backing the suspension of the head of the nation’s Judiciary, said his condemnation of the exercise is about preserving the sanctity of the constitution.
He warned that once the Pandora’s Box of unconstitutionality is opened no one can tell where it will end.
Atiku wondered what changed between 2015 and now when they celebrated a statement from the US/UK/EU calling for free and fair elections in 2015, just after the postponement of the 2015 elections to make room for a final assault against Boko Haram.
He also commended all the Lord Justices of the Supreme Court for not participating in the swearing-in of election petition tribunals, saying that they heeded the call to remain united.
In a personally signed statement on Sunday, Atiku said: “Since the unconstitutional removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari, there has been some water under the bridge that necessitates a restatement that I still completely and unequivocally reject and condemn that action and any other breach of our constitution.
“I am not fighting for Justice Onnoghen. I am fighting for the constitution. Once we open the Pandora’s Box of unconstitutionality, we cannot tell where it will end.”
Atiku who said the current scenario appears to him like déjà vu, recalled that under “a particularly brutal military dictatorship, Nigerians witnessed the illegal and arbitrary removal of many innocent people from their positions of authority and many said nothing because they were not from the ethnic group of those affected.”
While he noted that he remembered speaking up then that what we know is when the rain begins, but we do not know when it will end, he added “My warnings were ignored by some until they woke up one day and that dictator removed no less a personality than the Sultan of Sokoto.”
He continued, “It is worth pointing out that Muhammadu Buhari was by his side when he did that. He obviously learned very well from his teacher.
“If they come for the heads of the legislature and we keep quiet because we are not legislators, if they came for the heads of the media and we keep quiet because we are not journalists, if they came for the head of the judiciary and we keep quiet because he/she is not from our area, there may be no one left to speak up when they come for us.
“At this point, let me commend all the Lord Justices of the Supreme Court who have heeded my call and the call of other patriots to remain united. The fact that they did not participate in the swearing-in of election petition tribunals is not lost on true democrats all over the world.
“My thanks especially go to the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union for standing shoulder to shoulder with the Nigerian people. This is most appreciated and on behalf of the voiceless, I say thank you.
“And to those who accuse these governments of interfering, I remind them that they made no such accusations when they celebrated a statement from the US/UK/EU calling for free and fair elections in 2015, just after the postponement of the 2015 elections to make room for a final assault against Boko Haram. What has changed between then and now, except that they are now in power”.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
