Out of six, five governors of Nigeria’s South-South have come in
defence of Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen at an emergency meeting in
Abuja on Sunday and said the move to prosecute the top jurist for
alleged asset declaration infractions was vindictive and persecutory,
and should be condemned by lovers of democracy.
The governors consequently prevailed on Onnoghen not to appear when the trial opens at the tribunal on Monday morning.
The governors at the meeting were Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, who chaired it at his guest house in Maitama, Abuja, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ben Ayade of Cross River and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom.
The meeting began at about 4:00 p.m. and ended with a communique
shortly after 7:30 p.m. The governors declined to take questions from
reporters despite earlier promise in the announcement that there would
be a press briefing after the closed-door meeting.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State were
both absent at the meeting. The governors are the latest to express
outrage about the scheduled trial of the Cross River-born Mr Onnoghen,
following a petition filed to the Code of Conduct Bureau by a civic
group led by a man with previous ties to President Muhammadu Buhari.