Meanwhile, the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said Buhari was fair and balanced in his approach by suspending Onnoghen.

He said those who were faulting the President’s decision, particularly Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, apparently did not know the difference between suspension and sacking.

Tinubu said this in a statement he personally signed, tagged “Reply to Atiku’s state of the nation” and made available to journalists.

He said, “Buhari actually exercised considerable restraint in this matter. He has reasonably balanced concerns about the integrity of the judiciary with concerns for the individual rights of the accused.

“Nothing has been taken from the CJN that cannot be restored if the facts warrant such restoration.

“Thus, President Buhari conditionally suspended the CJN. By doing so, this allows for the case to move forward without the CCT or others fearing the CJN might use his position to unduly interfere with proceedings.

“If the CJN is exonerated, then he will return to his position. If not exonerated, then a more permanent discipline awaits him.

“This is an imminently fair and balanced approach, especially given the fact that the constitution and other laws really do not provide clear and unambiguous guidance on how to proceed in a case whether the CJN is the defendant under this unique fact pattern.

“While Atiku rails against Buhari because of this act of restraint, we can but imagine the tact Chief Obasanjo and Atiku would have taken if they presided over this situation.”

Nigeria no longer a colony, says Oshiomhole

Also, the APC National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday said Nigeria was no longer a colony of any superpower.

Speaking with State House correspondents, Oshiomhole noted, “The thing is that Nigeria is not a colony. I think we all have to be careful. We must defend the sovereignty of our country.

We welcome collaboration, we welcome peer review, we can compare notes, we welcome people who are interested in sharing experiences with us whenever the need arises, whether it is capacity building, making useful suggestions on how we can continue to improve on our electoral process.

“Those are very valuable contributions that we appreciate. But Nigeria is not a colony. We will not accept any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Nigeria.”

Oshiomhole argued further that Onnoghen admitted to have committed the alleged infractions he was accused of by the CCB.