GOODBY TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI

                  Hundreds Of Protesters Shut Down    American Embassy                                      

 The United States Embassy in Abuja was stormed by hundreds of protesters comprising of civil society leaders, lawyers and opposition politicians on Saturday.

The protesters demanded the United States intervened in the “constitutional crisis” ignited by President Muhammadu Buhari, with the removal of Walter Onnoghen, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the subsequent replacement with Justice Tanko Muhammad, as the Acting CJN.

They also sent a message to the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to announce a total shut down on Monday, and ban any Lawyer from appearing or recognising Tanko Muhammed as CJN.

                                                                                    

Meanwhile, Muhammad, has urged the 250 appointed Chairmen and members of the Election Petition Tribunals, to be guided by the fear of God, in the performance of their duties.
The Acting CJN, stated this on Saturday, in Abuja, during the oath taking and swearing in ceremony of the Judicial Officers appointed to oversee disputes arising from the forthcoming general elections.

“I am delighted to address you all on this occasion of the swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed Chairmen and members of Election Petition Tribunals for the 2019 general elections that are around the corner. As you Lordships take the oath of Office as Chairmen and members of the Election Petition Tribunals, let me remind you that this oath is a solemn appeal to Almighty God. Therefore, it is God Almighty that you will be ultimately responsible to.

                                                                          

“Therefore, it is from this oath that your duties and responsibilities as Chairmen and members of the Election Petition Tribunals in your various places of assignment spring forth, and has a binding effect. This is an ethical undertaking to justice, as well as upholding the rule of law in our courts. As such, I implore you to discharge your onerous duty diligently, and with the fear of God Almighty’’, he said.

Muhammad also said: “The Judiciary is in the trying times, you must stand to protect and uphold the integrity of this arm of government. I therefore, congratulate you on this appointment, and I urge you to see this assignment as a call to greater service to your nation. I encourage you to uphold and enhance the honour and standing of the Judiciary, and I pray that the Almighty God will bestow upon you strength, good health, and wisdom, in the performance of your duties.’

                                                                                     

Another voice against the suspension is that of Mike Ozekhome (SAN), a constitutional lawyer, who described the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as illegal and unconstitutional.

Ozekhome, who made the claim in a statement on Friday, said the provisions of the constitution on appointment and removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) was clear and was not followed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The provisions of section 292(2) of the 1999 Constitution are quite clear on how the CJN can be removed from office. Aside sections 153,158 and parts 1 and 2 of the 3rd schedule to the Constitution, which provide that a judicial officer can not be removed from office until he has first been tried and dealt with by the National Judicial Council (NJC), Section 292(2) makes it clear that the president can only remove the CJN from office before the age of his retirement when “acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate”. When did the Senate meet to donate this power to the president?” Ozekhome asked.
                                                              

He said Nigerians “should brace up, come out enmasse, to protest against this illegality. He also said Nigerian lawyers and the NBA (Nigeria Bar Association) should shut down all courts in Nigeria until the CJN is returned to his seat. He said this was achieved even under military dictatorship in Pakistan, when former Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf illegally removed from office the then Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on 11th March, 2007.

“All the lawyers went on strike,from 15th March, 2007, shut down the courts and protested on the streets for months, until a panel of 7 members of the Supreme Court sat and held that the removal was illegal and reinstated the Chief Justice. NASS (National Assembly) should also shut down in protest.”

         
                                                              

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council (PPCO) also condemned the President’s decision and stood in solidarity with Walter Onnoghen by suspending their presidential campaign.
They described the action by the President as a “dangerous and brazen assault on the constitution”, saying that there is no point in campaigning to contest in an election, whose very basis has been so flagrantly undermined.
                                                                             

“In the first instance, we are suspending our campaign for 72 hours. It is our hope that President Buhari will listen to the voice of all lovers of democracy the world over and restore democracy in Nigeria immediately and without qualifications. At the moment, the President has effectively suspended the constitution under whose basis the elections are being contested.
                                                                       

                                                                                  

“The action of President Buhari represents a constitutional breach and a direct attack on our democracy. This must never be allowed to stand, as there is no way by which democracy can survive under these autocratic tendencies. We call on all well meaning Nigerians to rise in defence of democracy and save our nation from this imminent slide into tyranny.”
                                                                               

ONNOGHEN

              10  DEAD, RETIRED JUDGES MAKES LIST OF CJN MOHAMMED'S     APPOINTED   ELECTION TRIBUNAL MEMBERS

 

The names of about ten dead and retired judges appeared among the recently sworn-in 250 election tribunal members.
Lawyers in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, told Daily Independent about the inclusion of dead and retired judges in the list.
According to the newspaper, the group of concerned lawyers who declined being identified, faulted the list of the recently sworn in 250-tribunal members as parading over 10 names of dead and retired judges.
They admitted that this would not be the first time the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has displayed this level of “cluelessness and carelessness in handling sensitive issues concerning Nigeria.”
They described “a posthumous appointment of anyone for such sensitive role in the country as burying Nigeria alive.”
The new acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Tanko Mohammed swore in 250 members of the election tribunals at the Supreme Court Complex in Abuja.
DAILY POST reported that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Friday suspended Justice Walter Onnoghen and swore in Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed as acting CJN.
Some Nigerians who have long been dead and buried have posthumously made the list.
One of the lawyers told Daily Independent that up to 10 judges in the list were dead.
He named Justice Edemekong Edemekong whose name appeared as number 58 on the list and declared that the late Justice died since 2013.
Another, Justice Chukwu, from Ebonyi State and number 53 on the list, who was formerly of the Federal High Court, is also said to have been long dead.
The lawyer’s revelation also indicated that Justice Stephen Okon, a retired Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State and justice Okoyo Essang (number 56), a retired justice of the High Court in Akwa Ibom State, both made the list.
The lawyers expressed concerns that if such errors could be spotted at a glance on such a sensitive list and on the first official outing of the new acting CJN, then Nigeria may be heading towards a doom.
“If dead and retired men are to sit on our election petition tribunal, then the APC-led federal government is out to drown this country and we vehemently reject a list parading dead men as members of the tribunal,” they said.

2019 PPRESIDENCY

                                                        

                                        INEC EXCLUDES ZAKARI FROM COLLATION OF RESULTS

 

                                                                                     

 Ahead of the 2019 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded all its National Commissioners from the collation of presidential poll results and other strands of elections.

The commission has also decided to throw open its Situation Room to accredited observers, civil society organisations and the media.
It was gathered that neither the widely-criticised National Commissioner Amina Zakari nor any of the National Commissioners will be involved in the collation of presidential poll results.
A source told The Nation: “No National Commissioner is in charge of collation of presidential poll results. It is true that there is what is called Collation Centre but it is separate from the Collation Secretariat, which is responsible for the collation of results.
”No National Commissioner will be appointed into the Secretariat Committee. So, Hajiya Amina Zakari or any National Commissioner does not have anything to do with the collation of results.”
The INEC source also stated that the commission met on Saturday and resolved to throw open its Situation Room.
“Related to the Collation Centre is our Situation Room. The international observers and other stakeholders want us to open up the Situation Room.
”The commission met on Saturday and decided that we will grant visitation rights to accredited observers, civil society organisations and the media.
”Observers might not be allowed to see all things but they can come in and out of the Situation Room. The greatest thing INEC has done with this is openness,” the source added.
Recall that Zakari had been widely criticised weeks ago after she was appointed as head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre.

 

BREAKING

                         POLICE SEAL CJN ONNOGHEN'S OFFICE, EJECT ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
The police have early Monday sealed off the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari, last Friday, sources at the Supreme Court have informed.
In a move that appeared to stop any possibility of  Onnoghen to accessing the office, policemen were said to have sealed the office and ejected  all administrative staff in the axis of the CJN office  as early as 7 am on Monday

THOT

One irrefutable law of nature is that we are each responsible for our own life.If you are holding someone else accountable for your happiness, you're wasting your time. you must be fearless enough to give yourself the love you didn't recieve.

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