A group under the aegis of Democracy Vanguard of Nigeria in Diaspora (DVND) has expressed worries over the delay in constituting a 7-man panel at the Supreme Court to determine the case of Presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement Sunday in Abuja, jointly signed by Leonard Ishiguzo, Yakubu Mohammad and Timothy Sule; the Director Outreach, North America Coordinator and President of DVND respectively, the group alleged that “there is an unholy alliance between the CJN and the presidency which is causing the delay in constitution of the panel,” saying such move is dangerous for Nigeria’s democracy.
It said, “Reports and indications hovering in the air is that Mr. Buhari and his trains are doing everything possible, abusing the power of the office of the president to influence Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad into ‘technically delaying the constitution of the 7 man justices to preside over the case.’ The purpose is self-defeating.”
The DVND added, “There are also alternative plans to jettison the historical precedents of the courts by choosing the judges according to positioning in the court to a style of staccato nomination by determining judges who will be favorable to the whims and caprices of Mr. Buhari and the APC.
“Nigeria is greater and more important than Mr. Buhari and his cabal. We call on the good people of Nigeria, the International Community and the African Union to ensure that the Independence of the judiciary must remain sacrosanct and inalienable. To do otherwise is to court anarchy and chaos.
“A credible, clear, crystal, conforming situation that allows the Supreme Court to function without any abysmal interference from the Executive will foster law and order and will bring back the trust and confidence Nigerians have in the judiciary.”
The group also commended Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for shunning violence after the poll, saying his resolve to seek redress through judiciary shows the PDP candidate is a true democrat who loves his country than his personal ambition.
“We want to applaud Mr. Atiku Abubakar who deserves encompassing encomium for successfully stopping his electors and voters from taking the laws into their hands, which demonstrates his strong democratic principles and his belief in the judiciary.
“This is a constant, credible and compelling evidence that Mr. Atiku Abubakar is one of the most endearing and qualified candidate in the election.
“So much to say that Nigeria is obfuscating and confiscated by the Buhari dictatorship whose stock-in-trade is willful disobedience to the court orders and the harassment of Judges who they feel will deliver justice without fear or favor.”
