CUPP alleges threat to Onoghen’s life
Ime Akpan
The attorney general of the federation and minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, yesterday directed the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to freeze five accounts belonging to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mr. Walter Onnoghen.
Citing the Presidential Executive Order No. 6 enacted on July 5, 2018, Malami said the restriction would take effect till the case against the CJN at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) is determined.
It would be recalled that Onnoghen was recently charged to the CCT for allegedly failing to include the said bank accounts in his assets declaration form.
The letter signed by Mr. Abiodun Aikomo, on behalf of Malami reads: “I am directed by Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to request that you, pursuant to the Presidential Executive Order No. 6 of 2018, forthwith restrict normal banking operations on certain accounts belonging to Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen pending final determination of the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT/ABJ/1/19.
“These accounts are as follows:
a. Account No. 5001062686 (Euro) Standard Chartered Bank (SCB)
b. Account No 5001062679 (Pound Sterling) SCB
c. Account No 0001062650 (Dollar) SCB
d. Account No 0001062667 (Naira) SCB, and
e Account No 5000162693 (Naira).
“Please accept the assurances of the esteem of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.”
Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) said it had uncovered a fresh plot to harm the CJN and evict him from office for refusing to compromise the composition of pre-and post- 2019 election petition panels for appeal at the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, CUPP’s 1st national spokesperson, Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere said: “The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has uncovered yet another dastardly plot by the Buhari-led APC government to harm the Chief Justice of Nigeria for refusing to compromise the composition of the post 2019 election Supreme Court Appeal Tribunal.
“Lobbying of all sorts by the APC chieftains to get the Chief Justice of Nigeria to accept to compromise the Presidential Election Appeal Tribunal and to compose the governorship election…tribunal in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Lagos, Benue, Imo, Kwara, Plateau, Kaduna, Abia, and Sokoto states with their preferred choices of justices did not succeed as the Chief Justice had remained faithful to his oath of office and said by his actions that the Supreme Court was neither going to be partisan nor partial and would not consider such requests.
“The current ordeal of the Honourable Chief Justice will not end soon. He is up against people who are desperate and who do not care if the engine of state grinds to a halt. They have taken this dastardly attack to a new low by freezing all the family assets of the family of the CJN.
“We are in possession of the letter from the attorney general of the federation to this effect. This onslaught on the judiciary is as undemocratic as it is unconstitutional. This is capable of further derailing our democracy as such brazen violation of the constitution is only tantamount to treason.
“With the happenings in the last 48 hours and the insistence of the Presidency to either get the CJN to comply or be removed from office, we hereby notify the nation that the life of the Honourable CJN, Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen as well as those of his family members is not safe.
“The situation will very quickly descend into compromising the security of the CJN. The APC government views the resistance of the CJN to the plot to hijack the Supreme Court as the only piece that has not been fixed in its grand design to rig and manipulate the 2019 general election for President Muhammadu Buhari and APC chieftains.”