Re: Petition Against The CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen

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Tukur Mamu

In my opinion, members or selected members of ARDI which I belong to should seat down with my brother the author of the petition against CJN Walter Onnoghen, Mr. Denis Aghanya to ask some questions that will clear any doubt about the possible motive of his petition, his source(s) of obviously too personal information about the CJN. My reasons are because Mr. Aghanya is no doubt the face of ARDI, he represents our voices in ARDI and even image to some extent. For those that didn’t know, ARDI is the short abbreviation of “Anti-Corruption & Research Based Data Initiative”.

ARDI under his leadership has so far earned for itself a credibility of independence & for being apolitical on issues of corruption across the country. We in ARDI must accept the fact that there is suspicion within commentators & the general public that in view of Mr. Denis relationship & sympathy for the President & his second term ambition, he got what he got on the CJN & did what he did under strong influence of either the presidency or certain forces close to it.

There is also the view lately that ARDI is being used even though if I’m not mistaken the petition was written & signed by Denis in his personal capacity. The contents of the petition and it’s suspicious timing (coming barely few weeks to the 2019 elections) CANNOT represents our voice in ARDI. That not withstanding, that is why I began by saying to many that are following the activities of ARDI, that Mr. Denis second name to many is ARDI, because being it’s initiator, its motivator & active member,, he’s undoubtedly it’s face.

My concern here is there are documented evidences of corruption & corrupt enrichment against those that are very close to the President like Babachir Lawan, Gov Ganduje, Ismaila Isa Funtua, the president’s in-law, Abubakar Isa Funtua, the man in AMCON, Lawal Daura & many others, in fact far worse allegations than the alleged offences of the CJN but our brother Denis or ARDI did not focus on that in a manner we saw in the case of the CJN.

In fact, even if ARDI or Denis will not write a petition on the aforementioned, I expected such cases to dominate our discourse in ARDI and for us to declare a documented stand that will be forwarded to the presidency & the EFCC but we never did. The general suspicion now is that Mr. Denis got bulk of his information on the CJN from official sources that have access to go through personal datas including bank accounts of individuals. So, as Mr. Onnoghen will be arraign tomorrow, it is very important for us in ARDI to discuss with Denis, to be able to ask him many posers so that as members, we can go back to the public with our view.

If we did not do that, at least to clear public suspicion, the credibility we have collectively struggled to earn for ARDI will be useless, will be an exercise in futility. In that regard I am not in any way suspecting my brother, Denis but we MUST clear our conscience. We must also asked ourselves why there are NO clear position or petition from ARDI or Mr. Denis on many controversial instances of corruption & corrupt enrichment involving those that are either close to the President or the presidency.

As an anti-corruption watch dog, we in ARDI have a responsibility to the nation especially in view of the documented facts that our ES in ARDI, Mr. Denis was a former aide to President Buhari between 2009 to 2011 and a one time National Publicity Secretary of PMB’s defunct party, the CPC. Denis is also a founding member of The Buhari Organisation (TBO). His CV no doubt makes him an interested party in anything that will directly or indirectly favour the president. The petition should have come from someone else but certainly NOT from my brother, Denis.

As we approach the elections, there is no doubt that Denis petition will severely injure the President, it will be a minus to him as many clear corruption cases involving those close to the President were deliberately ignored. It has caused avoidable tension across the country, and so much pressure on the President.

As long as justice will be applied in a selective manner, as long as those close to the presidency will be displaying wealth & living in a sudden life of affluence even when they CANNOT justify sources of their sudden riches, the President or Presidency will NEVER know peace or even enjoy the leadership they are struggling by all means to have.

That is the promise of Allah. It is not my position. Our focus or the focus of the leadership should have been the hunger that has ravaged many homes, the daily kidnappings, the crisis in our health and education sectors, the insecurity that is consuming lives daily in Nigeria and not clear acts of vendetta, blackmail, selective justice that will further divide us. The President should rather focus on probing his Service Chiefs, the billions that were spent for almost four years and why the result is NOT commensurate.

Tukur Mamu

Publisher, DESERT HERALD

13th January, 2019

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