ONLINE PETITION ASKING FOR BUHARI'S RESIGNATION GRADUALLY INCREASES

The petition which was created by lawyer Carol Ajie, following the comment made by President Buhari  during last Wednesday Presidential media chat, that  Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser, who is presently being prosecuted in relation to  misappropriation of $2.1 billion; and the leader of separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, despite court orders that they should be freed.

The online petition created to call for President Buhari's resignation for his disobedience to court orders to release some high-profile detainees has, out of the targeted 1,000 signatures needed,  gathered already gathered more than 600  signatures in just about 48 hours of being initiated.

According to the petitioner,  on Change.org, writes, “On May 29th 2015, a former Military Dictator, Muhammadu Buhari, sequel to a contested election in March 2015 against a sitting President in Nigeria, the first time in Africa, an incumbent handed power peaceably, smoothly, heroically to a political rival.” 

“Whereupon Mr Buhari then took the Oath of Allegiance to protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and the President’s Oath of office to discharge his duties faithfully, in accordance with the Constitution and the Laws of Nigeria.

He further writes that  within the President’s first year in office after  taking the Oaths, "he and state agents acting under his supervision, now demonstrate total lack of respect for Court Orders and at his maiden media chat on Wednesday 30th Dec., instant, Mr President made puerile attempts to justify these breaches, he said inter alia that some persons his regime locked up in cells dehumanized against court orders, Nnamdi Kanu had travelled without his passports."

He argues that under the President or the Minister under Immigration Act may deport anyone that travels without a valid travel document or detain such a person not more than  7 days, but "holding Mr. Kanu beyond the required period they have infracted on the Immigration Act, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and subsisting court orders.”

The petitioner said further that “With regard to issues of “self determination”, the crux of Nnamdi Kanu’s campaign of the Independent People of Biafra, IPOB, having communicated IPOB’s intent to all and the United Nations as required by UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by Nigeria, that people of any community or group may wish to exercise the right of self-determination with a view to pursuing their economic, social and cultural development; aware that their dignity as human persons had deteriorated and been consciously degraded under the present dispensation, sadly appearing power inebriate.”

As a result of all these,the petitioner called on  called on President  Buhari to resign as President if he is not prepared to obey court orders or he  face the riskof  being impeached from office.

The Presidency has therefore declined  declined to respond to the petition.

According to an official, responding to such  a petition is not appropriate dignified for the presidency, and explained further that there have been  "fresh charges against" the accused and were rearrested after their were released, "So we don’t know what people are talking about when they talk about the government disobeying court order.”