Nigeria Opposition Decries Trial of Top Judge Ahead of Vote

Jan 13 2019, 9:23 AMJan 13 2019, 10:52 AMJanuary 13 2019, 9:23 AMJanuary 13 2019, 10:52 AM

(Bloomberg) -- Nigeria’s main opposition party accused the government of trying to intimidate the judiciary and spark a constitutional crisis ahead of next month’s presidential elections by pushing for the ouster of the nation’s top judge.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal, based in the capital, Abuja, said in a statement Saturday that Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen would be put on trial from Monday because he allegedly failed to properly declare his assets. The CCT said Onnoghen, who started the role in March 2017, would be charged on six counts, without giving further details.

The move comes ahead of an election scheduled for Feb. 16, which will pit President Muhammadu Buhari against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Abubakar’s People’s Democratic Party has accused Buhari and his All Progressives Congress of clamping down on dissent and preparing to rig the vote, which they deny.

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“Any attempt to force Justice Walter Onnoghen to vacate his office, four weeks to an election for which the unpopular Buhari administration has shown every intention to manipulate, is a move pregnant with negative meaning,” Abubakar said in a statement. “Nigeria is still a democracy and not a fascist dictatorship as President Buhari may wish.”

Spokesmen for Buhari declined to comment, saying it was a judicial matter. Onnoghen couldn’t be reached for comment.

The Nigerian Bar Association said the allegations against Onnoghen were an “assault, intimidation and desecration of the judiciary,” according to a statement on its website.

The CCT also charged Senate President Bukola Saraki, now a leading opposition figure, in 2016 of falsely declaring his assets. He was cleared of wrongdoing.