The President, Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC had held a contrary view over the weekend raid on some judges in the nation, News Punch understands
While the Presidency on Sunday backed the weekend’s raids on the residences of some judges and their arrest, saying due process was followed, the APC had accused the security agent of not following due process
The President through a statement offered by his Senior Special Assistant, Malam Garba Shehu said the arrest of the judges are legitimate and followed due process
Shehu, however, said the clampdown was not against the judiciary but against corruption.
Shehu said the Presidency had been told by the DSS that all due processes of the law, including the possession of search and arrest warrants, were obtained before the searches were carried out.
Describing the raids as “surgical operation”, he said to suggest that the government acted outside the law in a dictatorial manner, was therefore to breach the interest of the state.
The statement read, “The recent surgical operation against some judicial officers is specifically targeted at corruption and not at the judiciary as an institution.
“In a robust democracy such as ours, there is bound to be a plurality of opinions on any given issue, but there is a convergence of views that the country has a corruption problem that needs to be corrected.
“But reports by a section of the media are giving us cause for concern.
“To suggest that the government is acting outside the law, in a dictatorial manner, is to breach the interest of the state.”
On the contrary view, Buhari's party, the APC has joined a session of Nigerians to condemn the DSS action.
The APC in a statement issued Sunday night in Abuja and signed by the national secretary, Mai Mala Buni, the party however, advised all security agencies to be guided by the rule of law in the discharge of their mandates.
The APC in the statement to react to the PDP reckless claim that the action of the DSS was politically motivated said;
“The All Progressives Congress (APC) is concerned about the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some of its governors to drag the President into circumstances surrounding the reported raids of the homes of some judges by the State Security Service (SSS).
“The President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration strictly respects the principle of the Rule of Law and also adheres to the constitutional provisions of Separation of Power between the three arms of government”, the party said.
The APC however called on security agencies to respect the laws of the land in its operations.
“While the Party calls on all security agencies to respect and be guided by the rule of law in carrying out its constitutional duties, the APC finds the actions of some PDP governors and the reckless unsubstantiated allegations levelled by the PDP on President Muhammadu Buhari as the architect of the SSS raids curious and suspicious.
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