CJN WALTER ONNOGHEN ASSET DECLARATION FALSIFICATION; SOUTH-SOUTH GOVERNORS ARE JINGOISTIC AND PERFIDIOUS CITIZENS
The Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA) received like other Nigerians the news of court summon of Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN Walter Onnoghen by Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged falsification of his asset declaration forms which he has allegedly fully admitted.
Withthat, Justice Onoghen breached the Constitutional provisions he was engaged to interpret and defend.
Is that not an indictment that the nation highest judicial officer is an unfit person to hold such office having failed woefully in simple credibility test?
However, it is amusing and flagrant act of cowardice against national interest that the South-South governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa ibom and Delta States could come out of a sectional, perfidious and diversionary meeting held on January 13 2019 and spewed sentiments that the arraignment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onoghen who despite being highest judicial officer of the land falsified his asset declaration forms when it is one of those matters he supervises all his life.
The governors were quoted by the media to have said “ The meeting deliberated on the recent happenings at the Supreme Court involving the Chief Justice of the Federation;
Justice Walter Onoghen and resolved that the action against him constitutes a setback to gains of the nation’s democratic experience of 20 years thereby asking him to ignore the court summons by the Code of Conduct Tribunal”.
If the statements were to be true and the governors were to be representative of their region, then we asked how did these set of sectional people become governors?
With the perfidious and sectional disposition of the governors, then is it not an affirmation that the region has no nationalists as its crop of leaders are destroyers of national peace and harmony?
When the former Secretary to the government of the Federation;
Lawal Babachir was shown the exit door out of government house, did any North East governor cry foul? When the then Director-General of Department of State Service (DSS):
Lawal Daura was removed by a Southern Acting President for a Niger Delta man, did any Northerner complain? When the then Minister of finance;
Mrs Kemi Adeosun was forced to resign due to fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate given to her even when she did not know, did South-Western governors complain?
Even Dr Bukola Saraki who is the President of the Senate has been facing justice without North Central governors clamouring for myopic discontinuation of his trial.
Why now that the highest judicial officer of the land who ought to be embodiment of good character, virtue, obedience and compliance with the extant laws of the Federation but chose to flagrantly disregard the laws he was engaged to protect and was asked to come and explain that the governors of South South now know the nation democracy was being threatened?
Was the nation not in democracy when others who were accused of wrong doings were made to leave the government and or prosecuted?
Could it be that the South-South governors most of whose controversial elections were validated at the Supreme Court under shady circumstances were compensating perhaps their benefactor that helped them seal the deal of their “Victories”?
If not, why the hurriedly held meeting castigating demand for justice which others have been subjected to by same judicial officer?
Are the South- South governors telling Nigerians that citizens from their region should not be prosecuted like other Nigerians?
Justice Adeniyi Ademola among other judges were prosecuted and no governor of North and Southwest cry foul, but why the South-South governors?
We witnessed how a sitting President of Court of Appeal;
Mr Ayo Salami was controversially removed by former President Goodluck Jonathan of South-South origin under a flimsy excuse of not working for the victory of the then ruling party;
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at tribunals who even failed to reinstate Justice Ayo Salami when the National Judicial Council exonerated him of wrong doing.
Did governors of Southwest meet over his suspension?
As the governors of South-South have directed Justice Onoghen not to honour the CCT summon, would Justice Onoghen have the moral right to summon anyone else to his court?
Besides, if other regions produce CJN in the future, should they also direct their man not to honour the law of the land as opined by the tribalistic governors of South-South?
Will that bring sanity to the nation legal system?
No wonder, some Nigerians have for long insisting that South-South and South East people including their governors have parochial agenda.
Therefore, they opine that such people should not be vested with leadership of the nation as they are sectional and not nationalists.
Was the governors’ position on CJN Onoghen not a confirmation of such fear apart from the fact that the worst President to rule Nigeria also came from the region?
The venom by South-South governors on CJN Onoghen asset declaration falsification when he might have adjudicated on similar issues for some other Nigerians is parochial, sectional, retrogressive, self-serving, rebellious and disservice to the nation.
For those opposing his arraignment, they might have been beneficiaries of such dubious revelation or eat from such anomaly or the revelation might serve their jingoistic interest.
Therefore, RIFA urge Nigerians to resist the governors’ primordial agenda and disregard their divisive tendency while the nation should ensure justice is served on whoever is guilty of any offence regardless of how highly placed such a person might be. This is only when egalitarian society can be assured.
Luqman Soliu
President,
Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA)
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