The Presidency on Sunday said the recent clampdown on judges was not aimed at undermine the independence of the judiciary, but rather cleanse it of corrupt elements.

The Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in a statement said the president is a committed democrat and will not go against the constitution.

“The Presidency assures that the President reserves his highest respect for the institution of the judiciary as the third arm of government.

“To this end, the President will not do anything to undermine its independence.

“President Buhari remains a committed democrat, in words and in his action, and will not take any action in violation of the constitution.

“The recent surgical operation against some judicial officers is specifically targeted at corruption and not at the judiciary as an institution.

“In a robust democracy such as ours, there is bound to be a plurality of opinions on any given issue, but there is a convergence of views that the country has a corruption problem that needs to be corrected.

Shehu said due processes were taken before the arrest of the judges.

“The Presidency has received assurances from the DSS that all due processes of the law, including the possession of search and arrest warrants were obtained before the searches.

“To suggest that the government is acting outside the law in a dictatorial manner is to breach the interest of the state,” he said.

Azeez