With the ongoing assault on the Judiciary by the Federal Government under the watch the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor, Nyesom Wike, of Rivers State says it is currently difficult for any judge to stand firm and give judgment against the interest of Abuja.
During an interactive session with lawyers in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Governor Wike said that the determined onslaught against the Judiciary must be resisted by massively voting out the APC in the coming elections.
He argued that if the Judiciary collapses, the country’s democracy will come crashing down, adding, ‘’today, it will be difficult for any judge to stand firm and give judgment against the interest of the Federal Government. They use propaganda to mislead the public on the activities of the judges. If this democracy must survive, there must be support for the total independence of the Judiciary.’’
Continuing, Wike said that should the APC Federal Government succeed in destroying the Judiciary, the country will descend into full scale dictatorship. ‘’When the Judiciary collapses, there will be full scale dictatorship. Thereafter, the Federal Government will start chasing people around.’’
On his achievements in office, the re-election seeking governor reeled out key projects in the sector and scored himself over 98percent by pointing at the re-opening of the courts and improving access to justice.
Different law groups at the interactive session endorsed Governor Wike for re-election with the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Onueze Okocha (SAN) lauding him for accomplishing his pledges in the course of his first term.
He announced the endorsement of Governor Wike for a second term, urging him to uplift legal practitioners in the state.
Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, Mr Sylvester Adaka described the venue tenure of Governor Wike as a period of abundance. He said that lawyers in the state are looking forward to a more rewarding second term for the governor.
Speaking on behalf of Academic Lawyers, Dean of Faculty of Law of the Rivers State University, Prof Ovunda Okene expressed happiness that the governor has improved the Law Faculty which led to the full accreditation of the school’s law programme.
Joseph Belem of Young Lawyers Forum, stated that the young legal practitioners have endorsed the re-election of Governor Wike because he has carried them along and created avenues for them to grow in the profession.
Secretary of the Legal Cluster of Rivers Professionals for Wike , Prince Nyekwere assured the governor that there are 26,000 professionals across the state working to mobilise the people for his re-election. He said that Rivers stands to gain more from the re-election of Governor Wike.
