Onnoghen: Atiku condemns Buhari’s reaction to EU, UK, US

• Says “I am not fighting for Justice Onnoghen”

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji  Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari over his response to the foreign interference on the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.

The international community, including the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom over the weekend expressed serious concern over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.

But, Buhari in a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu on Saturday, warned against foreign interference into the nation’s affairs.

The president noted that foreign interference was capable of creating apprehension, distrust among citizens and undermining the transparency and acceptability of outcomes of the nation’s electoral process.

Reacting to Buhari’s statement, Atiku reminded the president of celebrating commendations and statements from UK,EU during the 2015 elections.

In a statement he personally signed on Sunday, Atiku said: “To those who accuse these governments of interfering, I remind them that they made no such accusations when they celebrated a statement from the US/UK/EU calling for free and fair elections in 2015, just after the postponement of the 2015 elections to make room for a final assault against Boko Haram. What has changed between then and now, except that they are now in power.”

The former Vice President also noted that his fight against suspension of Onnoghen is for the protection of the nation’s constitution.

“I am not fighting for Justice Onnoghen. I am fighting for the constitution. Once we open the Pandora’s Box of unconstitutionality, we cannot tell where it will end.

“This scenario appears to me like déjà vu. Under a particularly brutal military dictatorship, Nigerians witnessed the illegal and arbitrary removal of many innocent people from their positions of authority and many said nothing because they were not from the ethnic group of those affected.

“I remember speaking up then that what we know is when the rain begins, but we do not know when it will end. My warnings were ignored by some until they woke up one day and that dictator removed no less a personality than the Sultan of Sokoto.

“It is worth pointing out that Muhammadu Buhari was by his side when he did that. He obviously learned very well from his teacher.

“If they come for the heads of the legislature and we keep quiet because we are not legislators, if they came for the heads of the media and we keep quiet because we are not journalists, if they came for the head of the judiciary and we keep quiet because he/she is not from our area, there may be no one left to speak up when they come for us,” he said.