In its avowed struggle to ensure justice and forthrightness in all arms of governance in the country, particularly in view of the ongoing anti-corruption drive of the Buhari administration, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), has urged the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and the entire judiciary to live up to their statutory expectations by discharging their duties independently.
This, according to the organization, is the only way to prove that the present government is genuinely committed to its zero tolerance against corruption and ensures sanity in the nation’s polity.
Making this call was the president of CLO, Comrade Igbo Akeregha while addressing a press conference on state of the nation with particular focus on the much-publicized ongoing trial of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
In the address titled ‘The trial of Bukola Saraki: Prosecution or persecution?’ the comrade expressed worry that the trial was already looking like a political witch-hunt given the relationship between the senate president and the ruling party, following the events that led to Saraki’s emergence as the senate president.
“After reviewing the ongoing trial so far, the CLO contends that while engaging this battle, the government may be unwillingly walking in error and playing into the hands of those whose interest it is to whittle down and frustrate the anti-corruption battle
“The Civil Liberties Organisaion has reasons to worry that anything that makes the citizens lose confidence in the anti-corruption battle ultimately undermines it and given the Nigerian context, exposes it to hollowness and thus doomed to failure ”, Akeregha stated.
Backing up the president’s position, Head, Programmes and Labour Rights, Comrade Chris Onyeka, added that “CLO wants to ensure that the three arms of government remain independently strong and upright enough to make our democracy work”; urging the judiciary to remain firm and refuse to be manipulated.