Clark Accuses Buhari of Humiliating Onnoghen for Re-election

|By Adejumo Adekunle –

• Clark: No Leader Is Above Accountability in Nigeria
• Former CJN Humiliated to Pave Way for 2019 Re-election

Elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark has accused former President Muhammadu Buhari of orchestrating the removal of former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, to secure re-election in 2019. In a letter to the current CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Clark described the suspension and subsequent prosecution of Onnoghen as unjust and a deliberate act of oppression.

Clark praised the Court of Appeal for acquitting Onnoghen of false asset declaration charges, labeling the case a “disgraceful and callous episode” that violated constitutional protocols. He criticized Buhari and his then-Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, for bypassing the National Judicial Council and National Assembly in their actions.

Reflecting on the events, Clark stated, “Justice Onnoghen was humiliated because his integrity posed a threat to the manipulations planned for the 2019 election. This conspiracy between Buhari and Malami was a stain on Nigeria’s democratic fabric.”

He also urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to ensure accountability, emphasizing, “No one is above the law; sacred cows must not exist in Nigeria.” Clark further highlighted the irony that Onnoghen, who had once ruled in Buhari’s favor in a 2011 election case, later became a victim of his administration’s machinations.