Niger Delta militants said that Buhari's suspension and replacement of Onnoghen by a Northerner was part of his ethnic agenda, which is unhealthy to the country's unity.
Justice Walter Onnoghen
A coalition of top Niger Delta agitators have threatened to unveil a government that would oversee the affairs of the region, and equally declared their readiness to work with the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari.
They said that Buhari’s suspension and replacement of Onnoghen by a Northerner was part of his ethnic agenda, which is unhealthy to the country’s unity.
The agitators, who issued the threat yesterday in a communiqué after a meeting that started in Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa on Saturday, noted that since Buhari remains focused on his alleged ethnic agenda, they (agitators) would unveil a government that would oversee the affairs of the Niger Delta region. The communiqué, among others was signed by General John Duku (Niger Delta Watchdogs), and Convener: Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators; General Ekpo Ekpo (Niger Delta Volunteers); General Simply Benjamin (Bakassi Strike Force); General Osarolor Nedam (Niger Delta Warriors) and Major-Gen. Henry Okon Etete (Niger Delta Peoples Fighters).
The agitators described the suspension of Onnighen as a “blatant exhibition of rascality and the highest form of dictatorship, tyranny and fascism in the 21st Century, which we view as the highest level of insult on the collective intelligence of the Niger Delta people.”
They added: ”The removal is a coup against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a coup against the Rule of Law and separation of powers and a coup against the Nigerian Democracy.
“It is a face-off with the Niger Delta people, and we call on the International Community to note this so that when we would retaliate nobody would blame us. This is clearly aimed at preventing Justice Onnoghen from selecting/inaugurating credible judges that would handle election petitions in their respective Tribunals."