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Nigerian Opposition Halts Campaign on ‘Constitutional Assault’

Nigerian Opposition Halts Campaign on ‘Constitutional Assault’

(Bloomberg) -- Nigeria’s main opposition party halted its campaign for three days to protest against President Muhammadu Buharis’s suspension of the nation’s top judge just weeks ahead of a presidential vote.

The decision to suspend Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, accused of having falsely declared some of his assets, is a “dangerous and brazen assault on the constitution,” the People’s Democratic Party, whose candidate Atiku Abubakar is Buhari’s main challenger in the Feb. 16 election, said in a statement posted on Twitter Saturday morning.

Nigerian Opposition Halts Campaign on ‘Constitutional Assault’

“There is no point in campaigning to contest in an election, whose very basis has been so flagrantly undermined,” the PDP said.

Buhari, 76, appointed Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad in an acting capacity, he said in a statement Friday. Onnoghen was put on trial last week by the Abuja-based Code of Conduct Tribunal.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anthony Osae-Brown in Lagos at aosaebrown2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, Sophie Mongalvy, Karl Maier

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