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Online petition calling for the resignation of President Buhari hits 250%.

An online petition calling on President

Muhammadu Buhari to resign for disobeying

court orders to release some high-profile

detainees has gathered over 974 signatories in

just over 48 hours of being created.

The petition, created by lawyer, Carol Ajie,

followed comment by Mr. Buhari that a former

National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who is

being prosecuted in relation to an alleged

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 during last Wednesday’s

Presidential media chat.

THE PETITION: Respect Court Orders or Resign

President Buhari

So far, the petition has collected 680 signatures

out of its 1,000 person target.

“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,” the petition posted on

Change.org read.

“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.

“Within President Buhari’s first year in office, too

soon after he took the revered 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.

The petitioner argued that the government should

have deported Mr. Kanu or release him after

detaining him for a period of not more than

seven days instead of holding him indefinitely as

stipulated by the Immigration Act or the

Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

“But under the Immigration Act, the President or

the Minister may deport anyone who travels

without a valid travel document or detain for a

period not exceeding 7 days. In 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.”

She further stated that Mr. Kanu’s agitation for

the emergence of a breakaway country called

the Republic of Biafra is in line with the right of

self-determination as stipulated by the United

Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

which Nigeria is a signatory to.

“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.”

She, therefore, called on Mr. Buhari to resign as

President if he is not prepared to obey court

orders or risk being impeached from office.

The Presidency declined to respond to the

petition.

An official said it would be inappropriate for the

presidency to dignify such a petition with a

response.

He however said, “The truth is there are fresh

charges against the detainees,” the official said.

“They were simply rearrested after they were

released folowing the filing of fresh charges

against them. So we don’t know what people are

talking about when they talk about the

government disobeying court order.”