{"id":2426,"date":"2019-01-14T15:39:20","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T15:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.com\/nigeria\/?p=2426"},"modified":"2019-01-14T15:39:20","modified_gmt":"2019-01-14T15:39:20","slug":"cjn-onnoghen-details-of-south-south-governors-meeting-emerge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/cjn-onnoghen-details-of-south-south-governors-meeting-emerge","title":{"rendered":"CJN Onnoghen: Details of South-south governors\u2019 meeting emerge"},"content":{"rendered":"

An emergency meeting of the governors of the states of the South South geopolitical zone, held at the Bayelsa State Governor\u2019s Lodge, Abuja on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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The meeting, called at the instance of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, who is also Chairman of the South South Governors\u2019 Forum, was attended by the Governors of Cross River State, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Delta States.<\/p>\n

The meeting deliberated on the recent happenings at the Supreme Court, involving the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen and resolved that the action against him constitutes a setback to the gains of the nation\u2019s democratic experience of 20 years.<\/p>\n

\n
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A communique the governors jointly signed reads: \u201cWe note that under Section 158(1) of the 1999 Constitution, the National Judicial Council, has ample powers to deal exhaustively with matters pertaining to allegations of misconduct and discipline of Judicial officers. Specifically, the NJC has the powers and clear procedures for investigating allegations, and recommending appropriate sanctions or disciplinary measures against judicial officials as a matter of first instance before any further steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe judicial pronouncements in the cases of FGN Vs Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court (January 9, 2018) and Justice Ngajinwa Vs FGN 2017 at the CCT have given validation to the express provisions of the constitution on this issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe note that the attempt to drag the CJN to the CCT is also a grave and dangerous escalation of the assault on institutions of state including the National Assembly and the judiciary<\/p>\n

\n
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\u201cWe believe that the President, Muhammadu Buhari has a constitutional responsibility and huge moral obligation to defend our democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, we consider this step, which is directly aimed at humiliating the nation\u2019s highest judicial officer and a prominent son of the region, as totally unacceptable as it is reflective of the South South story of endless marginalization and intimidation. The unceremonious removal of former Acting Director General of the Department of State Service, Mathew Seiyefa and his replacement is still very fresh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe note that the unfortunate action against the CJN further reinforces the perception that the Buhari administration has no regard for the sentiments of Nigerians, in particular the people of Niger Delta, and the rule of law<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a fact that this administration has a penchant for flagrant disobedience of and disregard for legitimate and valid court orders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect President Buhari to know that democracy cannot survive without respect for the constitution, strict adherence to the rule of law, and separation of powers as enshrined in the constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe strongly believe that the regrettable development at the Supreme Court at this critical time, when preparations for the general elections are wobbling (with serious concern about INEC and security agencies) is capable of causing avoidable anxiety, tension and possible breakdown of law and order in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe note further that the action undermines confidence not only in the judiciary but also the electoral process that has already commenced, in view of the pivotal role that the judiciary plays in the process of electoral adjudication.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe affirm President Buhari should know that the continuous assault on critical institutions of state is a defining feature of a dictatorship, and that the President is obliged to live up to his word that he is a born-again democrat, as he assured Nigerians in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the foregoing, we hereby call on the President:
\n1) To condemn without any equivocation, this assault on the CJN and the judiciary especially coming after similar assaults on the National Assembly, to save the country from this embarrassment and global contempt.<\/p>\n

2) We call on the CJN to ignore this so-called Court summon from the CCB and the provocative call for his resignation in some quarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we are not opposed to a genuine fight against corruption, such an action must always be anchored on the rule of law.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also decry the massive buildup of arms by APC leaders and members across the Niger Delta with the intent to cause mayhem and a general breakdown of law and order during the elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An emergency meeting of the governors of the states of the South South geopolitical zone, held at the Bayelsa State Governor\u2019s Lodge, Abuja on Sunday. The meeting, called at the instance of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, who is also Chairman of the South South Governors\u2019 Forum, was attended by the Governors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[205,204,226],"class_list":["post-2426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-governer","tag-government","tag-policy"],"yoast_head":"\nCJN Onnoghen: Details of South-south governors\u2019 meeting emerge - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/cjn-onnoghen-details-of-south-south-governors-meeting-emerge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CJN Onnoghen: Details of South-south governors\u2019 meeting emerge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An emergency meeting of the governors of the states of the South South geopolitical zone, held at the Bayelsa State Governor\u2019s Lodge, Abuja on Sunday. 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