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| Walter Onnoghen |
The Presidency says the war
against corruption is all encompassing and not designed to persecute anyone for
political or other reasons.
Malam Garba
Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity,
disclosed this in statement reacting to the conviction of suspended Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the
conviction of Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Tribunal was a major victory for
the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration.
Shehu explained
that the outcome of the trial demonstrated clearly that ”the law is no
respecter of persons, titles, social or political connections”.
According to him, the essence of the rule of law is to hold everyone
accountable before the law, regardless of their status in the society.
“The rule of law will lose its meaning and
validity if only the weak, the poor and powerless are punished for their
violations of the law.
”Countries
succeed because the rule of law is evenly upheld and enforced. The war against
corruption would go nowhere if the high and mighty are spared because of their
influence and connections.
”You can’t fight
corruption by allowing impunity because the rule of law cannot function where
impunity is tolerated.”
He pointed out
that the conviction of Onnoghen would send a clear message that the dragnet
against corruption would be ”spread widely to hold public officials
accountable, whether they are politicians, judges, civil servants or holding
positions of public trust.”
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