By CrossRiverWatch Admin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as “shockingly embarrassing”, the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to submit Cross River Born acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen to the Senate for confirmation.
The Guardian reports that the spokesman to the national caretaker committee of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said the party is very surprised that the President has refused to send Onnoghen’s name to the Senate for confirmation as the substantive CJN.
The PDP said it has reviewed “the dirty politics surrounding the appointment of a substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria, particularly at the Presidency” and called on the NJC to reject the option of recommending another person and insist on Onnoghen as its only choice, to frustrate what it called the President’s attempt at reserving the position for only a person from the northern part of the country.
“We in the PDP are bewildered by the action of the President. It is unprecedented since the beginning of Nigeria and even this democracy, for the President not to go by the recommendation of the NJC” said the PDP.
The PDP continued; “Normally, in the Supreme Court now, there is a tradition that has been well established which is the fact that it is the most senior justice that is appointed as CJN whenever there is a vacancy in the position of that office of the CJN.”
“The president, by his actions, his pronouncements and everything he has done since he assumed office has demonstrated that he is not a president for all. Buhari is a president for a section of the country, who is extremely parochial, nepotistic, very tribalistic and does not hide it; and he doesn’t care about it.”
The party noted that “the man (Onnoghen) will only serve for a few years and leave his position”, and pointed out that the last seven justices of the Supreme Court have come from the North and this should be the first time Nigeria would produce CJN from the South. There are allegations that President Buhari has no confidence in Justice Onnoghen doing his bidding to allegedly pervert justice, hence he appointed him in acting capacity contrary to practice and convention in the Judiciary
However, the Presidency said the allegations are false as the President has a window of 90 days with acting CJN Onnoghen yet to serve out the three months.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that Justice Onnoghen could serve as Chief Justice of Nigeria in acting capacity for three months, stressing that the acting CJN “has not even served one” out of the three months stipulated by the Constitution.
Also, Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity said that; “We don’t think that there is a live issue for reporting, given that the President has a three-month statutory window within which to decide the matter. By our count, that three-month period has not lapsed.”
President Buhari had on November 10, 2016 inaugurated 66-year-old Justice Onnoghen as the Acting CJN in compliance with Sections 230(4) and 231(1) of the 1999 Constitution at a brief ceremony in the Villa following the retirement of former CJN Mohammed Mahmoud after attaining 70 years of age.
As 2016 drew to an end, and with Justice Onnoghen’s not forwarded to the National Assembly for confirmation, speculations became rife that the delay was indicative of the presidency’s disinclination towards his appointment as substantive CJN, more so when his acting status ends in February 2017.
Officials in the judiciary say it is unprecedented to have a CJN in acting capacity for three months.
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