Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Ayodele
Fayose has commended President
Muhammadu Buhari for heeding to public
outcry on the appointment of Justice Walter
Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria
(CJN), saying; “Even though the President
acted late, it is still commendable that he
listened to Nigerians by not allowing the
judicial institution, which is the last hope of
the common man to be further bastardized.”
Governor Fayose and President Buhari
The governor said “I waited till now to
commend President Buhari because I wanted
to be sure that the letter seeking Justice
Onnoghen’s confirmation was actually
transmitted and read at the floor of the
Senate. Also, I needed to be sure that the
letter did not get missing at the national
assembly like the 2016 budget, new items
smuggled into it or it gets padded on transit.”
According to a statement issued on
Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere
Olayinka, Governor Fayose said; “Even though
the name was forwarded by the Acting
President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the Acting
President couldn’t have done that without the
concurrence of President Buhari even though
he is resting in the United Kingdom.”
While calling on the Senate not to waste time
in confirming Justice Onnoghen as substantive
CJN, Governor Fayose appealed to the new
CJN to always bear it in his mind that there is
another judgement in heaven and ensure that
the judiciary under him dispense justice to
Nigerians without fear or favour.
He said the judiciary, under Justice Onnoghen
should help in
sustaining democracy by resisting the plot by
the All Progressives Congress (APC) led
federal government to turn Nigeria to a one-
party state.
“Opposition is one of the major ingredients of
democracy and any attempt to kill opposition
will spell doom democracy in the country.
The judiciary must therefore resist the APC
sinister plot to deny Nigerians their
fundamental rights to freedom of association
and expression.
“Justice Onnoghen should strive to uphold a
judiciary that will be seen by all Nigerians as
their last hope in practice and indeed,” the
governor said.
Speaking further, the governor called for full
enquiry into petitions against Justice Okon
Abang, whom he maintained was “a cancer
that is capable of destroying the entire
judiciary in Nigeria if nothing is done to curb
his excesses.”
He said a judge like Abang who was described
by the Court of Appeal as giving fraudulent
judgments, speaking from both sides of his
mouth and acting like Father Christmas should
not be allowed any space in the judiciary.
“Therefore, I insist that the CJN should wade
into Justice Abang’s fraudulent judgments with
a view to showing him the way out of the
bench so that our judiciary can redeem its
image,” Governor Fayose said.
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