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President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the highest judge of Nigeria pending the outcome of his trial for corruption, the government said on Friday.
"President @MBuhari is suspending Nigeria's Chief Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen and appointing Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad as acting NCJ," said Bashir Ahmad, the president's badistant.
The announcement took place just weeks before the February 16 presidential and legislative elections – a contest in which Onnoghen would decide if a dispute arose over the outcome.
On January 12, the judge was accused of violating the code of conduct of public officials by failing to declare several foreign currency bank accounts.
The move – after a complaint allegedly filed by former Buhari spokesman – was immediately condemned by opposition parties as it was attempting to manipulate the judicial system through the government.
The president of the Supreme Court is the president of the Supreme Court, who hears any complaint about the results of the vote next month, during which Buhari wishes to be re-elected.
The former All Progressive Congress (APC) All-Party military leader is expected to be led closely by Atiku Abubakar, the main opposition party, the Democratic People's Party (PDP).
Both parties were accused of having bought votes in the last elections for the governorship, while Abubakar and the PDP repeatedly warned that the ruling party was trying to rig the results.
Cheta Nwanze, an badyst at SBM Intelligence, based in Lagos, told AFP that the Onnoghen case was "a clear indication that they (the APC) were panicking "about the results.
Buhari delayed the appointment of Onnoghen after he became acting chief justice in November 2016.
His appointment was only confirmed by Parliament in March 2017, prompting Mr. Buhari to speculate that he did not wish to approve his candidacy.
Since then, Mr. Onnoghen has criticized the politicization of judicial appointments in Nigeria and accused the head of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, of corruption.
Saraki accused the government of targeting him because he was not his first choice as president of the upper house of Parliament.
Buhari has been accused of surrounding himself with ministers, advisers and officials in the north of the country, with a Muslim majority, his region of origin.
Onnoghen is from Cross Rivers in the predominantly Christian south, while Muhammad is from Bauchi in the northeastern part of the country.
Muhammad was sworn in at the Aso Rock presidential villa, said an AFP correspondent.
Onnoghen is scheduled to appear before the Code of Ethics Tribunal next week.
But on Thursday, he got a temporary injunction from the Court of Appeals ordering the lower court to suspend the proceedings, pending a decision on his filing request.
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