We are ready to reinstate Onnoghen if he tells us where he amassed millions of dollars; FG to PDP
The Federal Government has continued to receive series of backlash from opposition members in the last 24 hours, major political bigwigs have criticised the move saying it could cripple democracy in Nigeria. However, Minister Mohammed said contrary to the opinions of some critics, the president acted legally by obeying the directive of a court of competent jurisdiction to suspend the CJN.
The president did not just wake up in the morning to suspend the CJN. He was acting based on the order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
“The fundamental question is that where in the world will a Chief Justice of a country fail to declare his asset, confronted with evidence that millions of dollars flowed into his account and the only defence will be that he forgot.
” I agree with the president that as soon as those allegations were made, the right thing he would have done was to excuse himself.
On the public outcry against the suspension of Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari, the minister said the critics ignored the real issues which concern corruption and the need to protect the judiciary.
“Anybody who read the address of the president yesterday will know that he laid out the point and reasons for the action.
“The first is that there are additional evidence revealing that the suspended CJN refused to declare millions of dollars in his possession
“More worrisome is the fact that when the suspended CJN was confronted with the petition that he failed to declare his asset, he admitted adducing the reason that he forgot.
“The people that are crying tyranny and dictatorship should ask where the suspended CJN amassed several millions of dollars which he failed to declare We are talking about fighting corruption here. Are those people who are crying wolf saying we should condone corruption?’’
He said the critics were being “hypocritical and insincere” to say that it was right for a CJN to be in possession of millions of dollars unaccounted for and not declared as required by law.