Those criticising Buhari over Onnoghen are hypocrites-Lai Mohammed

Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, says those criticising President Buhari over the suspension of Walter Onnoghen as chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) are “hypocritical and insincere”. There have been an outcry since President Buhari  suspended Justice Walter Onnoghen last Friday January 25th.

Reacting to the public outcry, Lai Mohammed in an interview with newsmen in Abuja yesterday, said the PDP and others kicking against Onnoghen's suspension are hypocrites. He particularly slammed PDP for suspending their campaigns over Onnoghen's suspension.

“Which Campaign? Their campaign was over a long time ago. There is nothing to suspend. We said it that their campaign had floundered. And in any event, let’s ask them this question: Is there something that they know that we don’t know? Is there something between them and the suspended CJN? Otherwise, we do not see why they should suspend their campaign anyway, but I can understand that their campaign was bound to end this way.

For anybody who read Mr. President’s address, two things stood out. The first is that additional evidence has just been revealed 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 assets, he added that it was a mistake, that he forgot.

Now, I would have been a happier person if the same people who are now crying tyranny and dictatorship could really address the issue raised by the President, in his address on Friday, that addition investigations have revealed that several millions of dollars were found in the CJN’s account”

Mohammed added that President Buhari merely carried out an order of a court of competent jurisdiction directing him to suspend the chief justice pending the final determination of the case against him.