Presidency reacts to Buhari’s alleged order to induce judges
– Presidency dismisses claims that Buhari has something to do with the travails of some recently arrested judges
– Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu says the president has never asked judges for favours
– Shehu says that Buhari would be the last person to authorize anybody to induce a judge to pervert the course of justice
The presidency has warned journalists and other Nigerians to stop linking President Muhammadu Buhari with the travails of some judges recently arrested by the Department of State Security Service (DSS), Vanguard reports.
This was disclosed in a statement issued yesterday, October 31, in Abuja, by Mallam Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity.
READ ALSO: Court summons Buhari, DSS to witness against corrupt judges
Shehu said: “President Muhammadu Buhari would be the last person to authorize anybody to induce a judge to pervert the course of justice.
“Despite his familiarity with some judges, the President had never asked them for favours; Since 2003, 2007 and 2011, when he was challenging the fairness of the presidential election results, from the lowest to the highest courts in the land.
“As a politician, Buhari had never suggested to his lawyers to approach any judge for assistance to win his cases. The president lives by this principle and has never deviated from it.”
On the fate of the judges facing corruption allegations, Shehu said: “The president doesn’t tell courts how to do their jobs and that anybody accused of corruption is protected by law and is able to defend his innocence.
“The president doesn’t have any powers to force any court to convict anybody who is innocent.”
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Lawyers stage anti-DSS protest in Abuja
One of the arrested Supreme Court judges, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, in a letter dated October 18, which he forwarded to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed and the National Judicial Council (NJC), had accused Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of transport and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, minister of technology, as those that approached him on behalf of the APC, to help pervert justice in the governorship election cases involving Ekiti, Rivers and Ebonyi states.
Ngwuta, said Ameachi begged him to facilitate the removal of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state, adding that shortly after the Supreme Court affirmed the election of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, Amaechi also called him on phone and said “Oga is not happy”.
Justice Ngwuta’s claim came barely three days after Justice John Inyang Okoro, also a Supreme Court Judge, alleged that Amaechi, reached out to him over election appeal cases for Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states.
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