Nigerian government dismisses opposition's suspension of campaign

Nigerian government on Saturday said the decision of the country's main opposition to suspend its campaign is a face-saving move, because the party's campaign "died long ago."

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) announced on Saturday suspension of its presidential election campaign for three days, to protest the suspension of the country's Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen for alleged breach of asset-declaration rules.

Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed faulted the party's action, saying the PDP was crying more than the bereaved.

"I don't understand, they should give us a break," Mohammed told reporters.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Onnoghen will remain suspended, pending final determination of the cases against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

PDP Party Chairman Uche Secondus said the suspension of its campaign activities was in solidarity with Nigerians in collective rejection of the assault against democratic order.

The PDP presidential campaign was scheduled to be in Benue State on Saturday.

However, the information minister said PDP's action was suspicious. "They are acting as if there is something between them and the suspended chief justice, otherwise we do not know why they will suspend the campaign that was long dead," he said.

On the public outcry against the suspension of Onnoghen, the minister said the critics ignored the real issues which concern corruption and the need to protect the judiciary.

He said the critics were being "hypocritical and insincere" to say that it was right for a chief justice to be in possession of millions of foreign currencies unaccounted for and not declared as required by law.

Mohammed said the president acted legally by obeying the directive of a court of competent jurisdiction to suspend the chief justice.

Earlier, the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in a statement rejected the appointment of an acting chief justice, calling on Onnoghen and the judiciary to resist with "every legal and constitutional means that they could muster."

In another reaction, Senate President Bukola Saraki expressed concern over the suspension of Onnoghen, saying the suspension was alien to the constitution.

He called for reversal of the decision to allow due process of law to take its natural course in determining the guilt or otherwise and suitability of Onnoghen to continue as the head of the nation's judiciary.