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The desperate last kicks of an archaic dying horse

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Hey family, these are really trying times in our nation. I bumped into this piece on Guardian Online. Enoy! It is probably no longer news to Nigerians that in, what can only be seen as an act of tyrannical desperation, President Muhammadu Buhari has announced an illegal suspension of the Chief Justice of the Federation – Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen. The move which was announced this afternoon is seen by most Nigerians as what it is, a last ditch effort to prevent Justice Onnoghen from empanelling the election petition tribunal judges who are to oversee disputes arising from the conduct of the 2019 general elections. The announcement preceded the hurried swearing of Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed as acting Chief Justice of the Federation. I will speak about the disappointment of Justice Mohammed offering himself up for appointment in this manner on another occasion. In analyzing this move, Nigerians must see the legal and political dimensions to the blatant disrespect for the
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CJN’s suspension: A dictator bares his fangs

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Punch Editorial Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari surrendered all pretence to the rule of law and constitutional democracy by sacking the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen. Unilaterally and in flagrant violation of the Constitution, he also swore in Tanko Muhammad as the new acting CJN. By this act, the President has precipitated needless confusion in the polity. A shocking action, it will aggravate tension ahead of the general election in February and March. This poses a great peril to our democracy. Though the President defended his action by citing an order from the Code of Conduct Tribunal directing Onnoghen’s suspension, his action is akin to a coup – a judicial coup in this case. In a subtle way, the President has suspended in part an integral part of the judiciary by illegally intimidating its highest symbol and shamefully deposing him. This undemocratic and high-handed approach advertises Buhari as an anarchist in a civil garb. Onnoghen’s travails began lat
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Opposition parties raise alarm over Buhari's plot to destabilize National Assembly

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A Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have raised the alarm about plot to destabilise the leadership of the National Assembly tomorrow. Briefing journalists about the alleged plot yesterday in Abuja, CUPP spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, disclosed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has released funds for the plan. He disclosed that the plot would result in the emergence of the Senate leader Ahmed Lawan, as Senate President, while Femi Gbajabiamila would become the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In a related development, the PDP has alerted of moves by the presidency to bribe Senators of the APC extraction to protect President Muhammadu Buhari from imminent parliamentary sanctions for constitutional breaches and gross misconduct. The party said this in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan. He claimed that intelligence available to it showed that the lawmake
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STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS BY ATIKU ABUBAKAR, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) MONDAY, JANUARY 28TH, 2019.

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Yet again, our dear country is passing through a difficult moment. How we react to this challenge in the following days will determine the fate of our democracy, which has been brought to great peril by this needless crisis engineered by a government that is unwilling to subject its conducts to the requirements of our constitution. Meanwhile, I commend all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who have expressed outrage over the unlawful removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, an action, which constitutes a flagrant breach of our constitution and a frontal assault on our democracy. I want to note the universal condemnation of this unlawful act by all Nigerians, as well as the international community. I need to state that this latest action by General Muhammadu Buhari falls squarely within the pattern of executive lawlessness that has now been firmly turned into statecraft by the APC government. The serial disregard of court orders, and consequent violation
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Buhari's coup against Judiciary: Nigerian lawyers to boycott courts.

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*SUMMARY OF RESOLUTIONS OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (NEC) MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, 28TH JANUARY 2019 AT THE NBA AUDITORIUM, NBA HOUSE, ABUJA. 1. NBA Condemns in strong terms the Unconstitutional Suspension of the CJN. 2. NEC resolved that Members should boycott all Courts for the next 2 days starting from tomorrow the 29th to 31st of  January, 2019. 3. NEC Ratified the Constitution of a 3 Man Committee (which may be expanded) made up of Former Presidents Olanikpeku, A. B. Mahmood and President Paul Usoro to interface on the issue. 4. NEC adopted and ratified all actions and statements earlier issued by the President on the Prosecution and Suspension of the CJN. Thank you.  Secretary, NBA Yenagoa Branch and Member, National Executive Committee.
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PDP Rejects Duplication of CJN By Buhari…Demands NASS, UK, US To List Buhari, APC for Sanction

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Press Statement The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejects in its entirety, the attempts by President Muhammadu Buhari to foist an illegal Chief Justice on the nation while the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen is still in office. The PDP firmly holds that such impunity cannot stand, as Nigeria is a nation governed by law and not by the whims and caprices of a dictatorial leader. President Buhari wants to ruin our country and we will never allow him. The PDP says Nigerians must reject the incendiary move by President Buhari to forcefully suspend our constitution, annex the judicial arm of government and open the nation up for full-blown totalitarianism to achieve his self-succession bid, having realized that he cannot win in the 2019 general election.  President Buhari’s action in attempting to unilaterally appoint a Chief Justice and foist him on our country is a direct invitation to anarchy, national confusion and a monumental crisis capable of
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PDP To Buhari: Prosecute Other APC Leaders, Not Only Babachir Lawal

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Press Statement PDP To Buhari: Prosecute Other APC Leaders, Not Only Babachir Lawal The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) charges President Muhammadu Buhari to go beyond the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and prosecute other leaders of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), who have been openly indicted of corruption. The party says that singling out Babachir Lawal and Ayodele Oke, for prosecution, while providing official cover to numerous other indicted APC leaders and persons close to him, President Buhari has further confirmed that he is indeed partisan and insincere in prosecuting the anti-corruption fight. Moreover, the fact that, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. President had to give his nod before Babachir and Oke could be prosecuted, also goes to further confirm that President Buhari has annexed the system and directly determines wh
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