OPPOSITION political parties and a coalition of pro-democracy groups in Nigeria have petitioned the United Nations and the African Union Commission over President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

They have also commended the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union for identifying with Nigerians on the matter.

Their position was contained in separate letters written to the bodies by the Save Democracy Coalition, copies of which were made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.

The letters dated January 27, 2019, were signed by the lead activist, Imo Ugochinyere.

In the letters addressed to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and the Chair of AUC, Moussa Faki, the activists sought the intervention of the two bodies in rebuking Buhari and seeking reversal of the suspension.

The letter read, “We humbly request the intervention of your good office in rebuking and seeking the reversal of President Muhammadu Buhari’s dictatorial ‘suspension’ of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria in stark contravention of the Nigerian constitution.

“As it appears to every reasonable man, the ‘suspension’ and ‘replacement’ of Justice Walter Onnoghen is to activate a backdoor mechanism for the successful rigging of the general elections in Nigeria by turning the judiciary into a rubber stamp to legitimise any rigging perpetrated, particularly with President Buhari’s cousin in the top hierarchy of the national electoral body.”

The group added, “Our plea is concise and definite: please stand with us and with the good people of Nigeria in the trying days ahead.”

In the letters addressed to President Donald Trump of US and Donald Tusk of European Council, the group commended them for the concerns they raised over matter. They urged them to ignore what they called the ranting of the Buhari administration “and see it as an attempt by a dictatorial regime that has lost the goodwill of the people to desperately hang on to power.” – Punch

– Jan. 30, 2019 @ 14:12 GMT |