…Suspension of CJN a slap on democracy, says Babatope
Lawyers in Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers and Ondo
States on Tuesday complied fully with the directive of the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA) to its members to boycott the courts in protest against the
suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen.
This is coming as lawyers in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, on Tuesday partially
complied with the directive of NBA for them to boycott court proceedings in
protest against the controversial suspension of
Onnoghen.
Also, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) and member of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Ebenezer
Babatope, on Tuesday described the suspension of Onnoghen as a slap on democracy
and the rule of law.
The compliance in Bayelsa State made it impossible for
judges to treat any cases, leading to the early shutdown of the courts.
Members of the NBA executives were seen monitoring the
compliance at the state high courts as well as the federal high court in Onopa
area of Yenagoa.
Chairman of Sagbama branch of NBA, Dise
Ogbise-Ehisere, said lawyers in the two branches of NBA in the state complied with the directive of the national
leadership of NBA.
He said: “We complied with the directive of National
Executive Council (NEC) of NBA fully in Bayelsa State yesterday being the first
day and we shall continue on Wednesday.
“No court sat today in the two branches of
NBA in the state because we set up a monitoring committee that went round all
the courts.
“The feedback is that compliance was total, I was at
the NEC when the decision to boycott the court was taken and I just came back
to ensure compliance.
“After today, if the CJN is not reinstated, we shall
await further directives from the national leadership of NBA.”
In compliance with the directives of NBA, lawyers in
Rivers State also boycotted court proceedings but embarked on a peaceful
protest in Port Harcourt on Tuesday over the suspension of Onnoghen by the
federal government.
The lawyers from the eight branches of the NBA in the
state marched to Magistrate Court, State High Court, Federal High Court,
National industrial Court and Appeal Court in Port Harcourt.
They stated that while they would not encourage any
acts of corruption by judicial officers, the federal government should follow
constitutional procedures in the allegations against Onnoghen.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the Chairman
of Port Harcourt branch of NBA, Mr. Sylvester Adaka, said the action of the
association is not about tribe or politics, but about ensuring that the
procedures and processes set out by the constitution are adhered to.
Adaka said:
"We are all aware of the events that have been unfolding in the last few
weeks concerning Onnoghen, who ended up being unconstitutionally suspended from
office.
"And what we say is that procedure should be
followed. That's all. We are not in any way condoning corruption: what we are
doing is not about the CJN. It is not about tribe, politics or whatever; it is
about saving out democracy, it is about rule of law. It is about ensuring that
procedure and processes set out by the constitution is adhered to."
Another lawyer, Barinua Wifa (SAN), also stated that
the suspension of Onneghen was a trial on the country's democracy.
He said the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to
suspend Onnoghen and appoint Justice Tanko Mohammed was hasty and did not
follow the constitution of the country.
Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Faye Dikio,
also called on the National Assembly to rise up and correct the mistakes made
by Buhari in the suspension of Onnoghen.
Dikio said:
"There is confusion; confusion in the sense that the constitution is not
adhered to. What the president is doing is unconstitutional.
"So, it is
definitely into confusion that we are heading to. We pray to God that this
issue will be corrected, and he might not be able capable to correcting it. The
National Assembly should rise up and correct it."
Meanwhile,
lawyers in their hundreds defied the early morning rains and took to the
streets of Calabar, Cross River State, yesterday in protest against the
suspension of Onnoghen.
The lawyers from the Calabar, Ogoja, and Ikom branches
of the NBA in the state who boycotted the courts in the state in compliance
with the directives of its national secretariat, assembled at the premises of
the high court from where they marched to the Government House in Calabar where
they lodged their protest with government.
The lawyers condemned the suspension of the CJN, and
called on President Buhari to reinstate him immediately.
They also condemned the actions of the acting Chief
Justice of Nigeria, saying he was not occupying the position rightfully.
The lawyers also faulted the ruling of the Code of
Conduct Tribunal (CCT), which President Buhari relied upon to suspend Onnoghen,
saying it was an abuse of court process.
The communiqué read by the Vice Chairman of the Calabar
branch of the NBA, Mr. Julius Idiege, stated in part that: “We condemn in the
strongest term and wholly reject the unconstitutional suspension of Hon.
Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen , Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, by President Buhari, vide a black market ex parte order issued by the
CCT.
“We are horrified that the Justice Tanko Mohammed
submitted himself to be sworn in as acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, thereby
subscribing to this abuse of the constitution. We strongly advise his lordship
to retrace his steps, decline any further pretentions to the office of the acting
Chief Justice of Nigeria, and apologise to the legal community and the Nigerian
people.”
Meanwhile, lawyers in Ondo State also boycotted the
courts yesterday in compliance with the NBA directive.
When some courts in Akure, the state
capital, were visited, there were no lawyers at Magistrate courts at Oke eda, High Court,
Federal High court, National Industrial Court and Court of Appeal all located
in Akure.
It was also
gathered that no court proceedings at magistrate and high courts in Owo, Ondo
town, Ikare-Akoko, Ore and Okitipupa due to the decision of the NBA members.
The Akure branch Chairman of the association, Mr Ola
Dan-Olawale, who led his executive officers to ensure compliance, said any
lawyer who violated the directive would be sanctioned appropriately.
Dan-Olawale said if President Buhari refused to
reverse the suspension of Onnoghen after the two days court boycott, the bar
would take further stiffer actions.
Also, lawyers in Ilorin yesterday partially complied
with the directive of NBA to boycott court proceedings in protests against the
controversial suspension of Onnoghen.
Chairman of the Ilorin NBA, Muhmmed Akande, who spoke
with journalists in Ilorin yesterday attributed the partial success of the
boycott to the fact that the Heads of Courts had not been formally communicated
with the decision of the NBA.
He said officials of the local branch who attended the
emergency NEC meeting of the body only returned to base yesterday.
Akande expressed confidence that the boycott would be
more effective today as the Chief Judge of the state and others would have been
properly put on notice.
According to him, “There was partial compliance; not
full because really some members were not aware, so we tried our best to
enforce it."
He stated that "the problem was that I was at the
NEC meeting yesterday where the decision was made, and I just have to rush down
and get back to the office.
“The Heads of Courts are not aware so I have to call
the Chief Judge of the state and some other Heads of Courts. You know we have
to communicate them officially with the decision of NEC.
"I just came with the official position for the
attention of the Heads of Courts. So by today there will be total compliance.”
In another development, a chieftain of the PDP and
member of the party's BoT, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, yesterday described the
suspension of Onnoghen as a slap on democracy and the rule of law.
Babatope, who stated this in a statement yesterday,
contended that all Nigerians should rise to condemn the authoritarian approach
of President Buhari who he said has turned democratic rule to a military
dictatorship.
According to him, President Buhari and the All
Progressives Congress (APC) government are making frantic efforts to
disenfranchise Nigerians by rigging the presidential election ahead of February
16 unchallenged.
President Buhari recently swore in the acting Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko, to replace Onnoghen, pending
final determination of the cases against him.
The statesman therefore urged every well-meaning
Nigerian to defend democracy by kicking against the unholy war being stage-managed
by President Buhari by appointing an acting CJN without following due process
and constitutional requirements.
The former Transport and Aviation Minister remarked
that President Buhari has lost his
credibility among the committee of nations following the outright condemnation
of the suspension of Onnoghen by
the United Kingdom and United States of
America.
This, he noted, was a clear indication that President
Buhari is sending a wrong signal to the whole world that he will not give
Nigerians a free, fair and credible election in the coming general election.
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