Coalition of United Political Parties says presidency plans to remove Onnoghen at gunpoint

NIGERIA'S Coalition of United Political Parties (Cupp) has alleged that the federal government plans to force the embattled chief judge of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen to resign from office at gunpoint.

Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Justice Onnoghen and replaced him with Justice Tanko Mohammed, who was sworn-in as the acting chief justice of Nigeria (CJN). Over the last few weeks, Justice Onnoghen has been involved in intense political jockeying with the government that involved him being charged before the CCT.

Justice Onnoghen has challenged the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him and filed a motion to that effect and there are several other legal suits on the matter also pending. Despite the matter still being before the law courts, President Buhari decided to suspend Justice Onnoghen and replace him with the Bauchi State-born Justice Mohammed.

With the legal battle still raging across several front, Cupp is alleging that frustrated with Justice Onnoghen's refusal to be intimidated and resign, the government now plans to force him out. Cupp publicity secretary Imo Ugochinyere, said the presidency has resolved to use force on the suspended CJN after he allegedly turned down all mouth-watering offers from the federal government.

Mr Ugochinyere said: “Some of the senior advocates on the team of the CJN have been trailed, their offices and homes being circled and monitored, their telephones bugged and most of them have had reports from their bankers that their account statements have been obtained by the security agencies and certain instructions placed on some types of transactions. Also, subtle threats of arrest have been handed down in a puerile attempt to intimidate, harass, scare and force them to abandon the professional job they have undertaken as provided in law.

“Neighbours near the Wuye office of one of the senior advocates are already apprehensive due to the activities of the security agencies. Workers on the farm of the CJN located in Uke in Nasarawa State have been threatened to leave their place of work or pay with their lives by persons who disguised as Fulani herdsmen.

“We have credible intelligence that the visitors to the farm were arranged by the government, all to ensure the farm is crumbled and every other source of income of the CJN is blocked. The legal team of the CJN has written to the appropriate security agencies complaining of the warning and threats by the so-called Fulani herdsmen.

“The presidency has alleged and spread the fake news that the CJN hid billions of naira, dollars, pounds and euros in his various accounts yet has been unable to file any of such in court. The presidency encouraged the spread of the fake news that the CJN owns 55 choice properties in several plum areas of Abuja, Lagos, Calabar and other cities in and out of Nigeria, yet till date, has not disclosed the address of any of such houses because the houses only exist in their imagination.

“This attempt to use the spread of fake news is one that will fail and fall like a pack of cards. The federal government knows they do not have anything on the CJN hence their resort to purchasing a contrived ex-parte order which the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal shamelessly said he would want to cement by allowing the prosecution to move the motion on notice seeking the same prayer.

“The collusion between the office of the attorney-general of the federation and the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal is tending towards criminal and the Nigerian Bar Association is hereby called upon to immediately commence an inquest into the circumstances that led to the granting of the ex-parte order upon which the president claimed to have acted to unlawfully to force the CJN out of office.”