Onnoghen: Presidency Reacts To Nigerian Lawyers’ Boycott Of Courts

The Presidency has reacted to the decision by lawyers in Nigeria to boycott all courts in the country for 48 hours over President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen.

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) had issued a boycott order on Monday, asking lawyers to stay away from all courts across the country as a way of protesting Onnoghen’s suspension.

Recall that President Buhari had suspended the substantive CJN over allegations bordering on corruption. The President consequently installed Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed as acting Chief Justice. Buhari based his action on a directive he received from the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

In its reaction to the NBA boycott order, the Presidency described it as democracy in display.

Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, told Guardian that it was “a free country” and that the association was free to exercise its freedom.

Meanwhile, a socio-polical group, OccupyNigeria, has demanded the reversal of Onnghen’s suspension by President Buhari.

The group asked why it appears as though there are separate sets of rules for ‘‘scapegoats and sacred cows’’ under the current administration ‘depending on whether such are in the good or bad books of the government.’’

The group said unless the President reverses the CJN’s suspension, he must treat backlogs of court orders that have allegedly been flouted by his administration.