By Lawrence Olaoye
National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned external bodies against interfering in the nation’s affairs reminding them that Nigeria is not a colony.
Reacting to statements credited to the European Union, United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK) expressing reservations over the recent suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, following allegations of corruption against him, the APC chair urged Nigerians to defend the soverignty of their country.
Oshiomhole told State House Correspondents after President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with APC senators and senatorial candidates on the platform of the party late Monday night: “The thing is that Nigeria is not a colony. I think we all have to be careful. We must defend the sovereignty of our country.
“We welcome collaboration, we welcome peer review, we can compare notes, we welcome people who are interested in sharing experiences with us whenever the need arises, whether it’s capacity building, making useful suggestions on how we can continue to improve on our electoral process.
“Those are very valuable contributions that we appreciate.
“But Nigeria is not a colony. We will not accept any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Nigeria.
“When they dismiss judges in Europe…judges have been dismissed in the United States when they are found guilty of corruption and the Western world cannot on the one hand, when it suits them, describe Nigeria as fantastically corrupt and when a corrupt judicial officer is being charged, people want to interfere.
“What anybody can insist on is, is anybody being framed? Is the suspended CJN guilty of the allegations made against him? Or is it something being cooked out from nowhere?
“Now, if a Chief Justice of the Federation admits that he has breached the law, if a Chief Justice of the Federation admits that he has several foreign domiciliary accounts, even though he also admits that by nature of his office, he is not s trader, what is he doing with accounts in British pounds, US dollars and in Euros and to the extent of forgetting that he has those accounts? “
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