Govs Kick Against Acting CJN Role

The appointment of Justice Walter Onnoghen as acting Chief Justice of Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari is not going down well with some PDP governors in the country.

Reacting to the Presidency’s tactics to pressure the new CJN to play Buhari’s cards, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said the government’s strategy was against the interest of democracy and rule of law.

Wike explained that Onnoghen was placed on probation to see if he will play along by doing the bidding of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said it was sad that the confirmation of Onnoghen as substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria now depends on whether he will do the bidding of the APC or not.

The governor said this portends grave implications to the Nigerian Judiciary and democracy.

Also reacting, the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, accused those he called cabals in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa of using the confirmation of Justice Walter Onnoghen as substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria to get him to assist them to pervert justice in the judiciary.

Fayose, in a statement, said it was strange that 28 days after the NJC recommended Onnoghen as the next CJN, Buhari failed to send his name to the Senate for confirmation.

The governor of Ekiti State urged Onnoghen to live above the temptation of wanting to be the substantive CJN at the expense of strict adherence to the rule of law and principles of democracy.

He urged Onnoghen to resist any attempt by the APC-led Federal Government to further gag the judiciary.