Nnamdi Kanu: Buhari's Reason For Non-Compliance To Court Order Is No Reason—Says HURIWA
Convinced that President Muhammadu Buhari’s attempt to explain away his illegal reluctance to release former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, in spite of the order of court directing that they should be granted bail amounted to a nullity and a grave affront to constitutionalism, the President has been called upon to have a rethink before he drags Nigeria further down the path of anarchy and lawlessness.
Specifically, Buhari who spoke during his maiden Media Chat in Abuja on Wednesday said considering the weight of the crimes the duo are accused of committing against the Nigerian State, if they are allowed to enjoy any form of
freedom, they are likely to jump bail.
Colonel Sambo Dasuki(rtd) the immediate past National Security Adviser to the President is standing multiple trials over alleged diversion of over $2.2 billion budgeted for the procurement of arms meant for the fight against insurgency and sharing same to top public officers and close associates of the former administration, was on Wednesday illegally re-arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) after he had been granted bail by
three different courts.
But the Rights group accused President Muhammadu Buhari of resorting to self help measures which are antithetical to democracy which clearly specifies powers and functions to different institutions for the purposes of engendering good governance and civility.
HURIWA recalled Buhari saying thus: “And the one you are calling Kanu, do you know he had
two passports – one Nigerian, one British – and he
came into the country without any? Do you know he
brought equipment into this country and was
broadcasting Radio Biafra? Which kind of government
do you think should harbour that kind of person?....
But HURIWA lambasted the President for playing God and for hijacking the constitutional judicial powers of the competent courts as enshrined in section 6 of the Supreme law of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended ) just as the Rights group tasked the National Judicial Council and stakeholders in the Nigerian justice sector to speak out or risk the systematic degrading and demolition of the constitutional powers of the Courts by the ExecutiveArm of government at the center under the current Federal administration.
HURIWA said should the hierarchies of the Nigerian Judiciary remains silent apparently because of the Northern regional affiliations of the leaderships of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court to President Muhammadu Buhari then the organized civil society community must brace up for a long winding confrontations with the emerging tyranny in Aso Rock Presidential Villa before the democracy project is undermined by reactionary forces who dominate the current Federal government.
HURIWA accused President Muhammadu Buhari of having strong aversion to the constitutional principle of Separation of powers by dictating to the competent courts of law the modus operandi for entertaining cases the Nigerian Government brings before the Judges.
"What then is the essence of creating Courts of law if brute force would be deployed by Mr President to achieve his predetermined outcomes of cases his government files against perceived political opponents or persons suspected of committing crimes against the State?"
HURIWA said that the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami should either get his principal to respect the law or he quits honorably or better still he can be stripped of the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria since he can't defend the sanctity of the judicial institution .
The Rights group said : " We are deeply troubled by the caustic and vicious tones of President Muhammadu Buhari in his just ended maiden media chat and especially his predisposition to disrespect court orders that do not comply to his dictates and whims. His reason for his serial non- compliance to subsisting and binding orders of competent Courts of law is itself HIGH TREASON. President Muhammadu Buhari must be called to order and the NationalAssembly and the Judiciary must stand up to defend our hard fought democracy and stop the current President from endangering the supremacy of the Constitution which he had taken an oath of office administered by the head of the Judicial arm of government to comply with totally. Under constitutional democracy the respect for the constitutional principle of Rule of law is sacrosanct and non-negotiable".