SAN FRANCISCO, January 28, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari has invited members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Senate to a meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
THEWILL recalls that Onnoghen was suspended on Friday by President Buhari based on an ex parte order granted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
Buhari’s meeting with the APC governors will take place ahead of the Senate emergency resumption on Tuesday when decisions are expected to be taken on Onnoghen’s suspension by the President.
The APC senators’ meeting with the President would take a position to counter the expected condemnation of the CJN’s suspension by the members of the opposition in the Senate on Tuesday.
Apart from the senators, some APC governors had also been invited to the meeting while the national leadership of the APC would also attend the meeting.
Also, members of the APC Caucus in the House of Representatives have scheduled an emergency meeting for Monday.
The Majority Leader, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, called the meeting, according to a text message circulating among the lawmakers on Sunday.
“Honourable colleagues, there will be a meeting of the APC caucus tomorrow, Monday, at 4pm. Venue is the White House Hearing Room 1. Thank you. Femi Gbajabiamila,” the message read.
But the PDP has alleged that certain agents of the Presidency were making moves to bribe the APC senators to protect Buhari from parliamentary sanctions for constitutional breaches.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Sunday stated that the Presidency had summoned all the APC senators to the Presidential Villa to a clandestine meeting on Monday night.
“President Buhari is not only apprehensive that the Senate might sanction him for violating the constitution and usurping its statutory duties regarding the handling of issues related to a CJN, the parliament may also open an inquest into how President Buhari, who parades himself as Mr Integrity, allegedly procured an order from the CCT upon which he announced the illegal suspension of the CJN,” Ologbondiyan said.
“There are reports that the said order is suspicious and subject to investigations, being not argued or issued in the open court; following which a distressed Buhari Presidency now seeks to corrupt and undermine the Senate.”
