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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Gov. Wike's Visit To The CJN (283 Views)
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Gov. Wike's Visit To The CJN by oluwatomisin93(m): 6:54am On Aug 06, 2015 |
THE legislature, the executive and the judiciary are the three
arms of government and the fulcrum on which democracy
functions. Constitutionally and legally, they are supposed to
function independently of one another in order to preserve
the principle of checks and balances to ensure a healthy
democracy.
That is why the reported visit by the Rivers State Governor,
Nyesom Wike, to the Supreme Court office of the Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mahmud Mohammed,
raised ethical, legal and moral questions.
The Governor visited the CJN’s office on July 6, 2015 while
the latter was said to be away in Saudi Arabia on the lesser
hajj. He repeated the visit two days later while the CJN was
in an interview session with shortlisted candidates for the
award of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).
Expectedly, the two visits raised several eye brows. A
fundamental question to ask is the propriety of the visits at
such an inauspicious time when Governor Wike’s victory at
the poll is being challenged by five opposition party
candidates at the election petition tribunal.
The Governor is a lawyer and he is not unmindful of the
likely insinuations that would trail his action. His explanation
that the visits were to express gratitude to the CJN for
sending the Bayelsa Chief Judge to perform his swearing-in
is not enough justification.
The other reason that the Governor wanted to inform the
CJN of the need to appoint an acting Chief Judge and acting
President of the Customary Court of Appeal for the state did
not warrant two separate trips by a state chief executive to
the nation’s head of the Judiciary. There are known official
communication channels through which the same purpose
could better have been handled.
There is obviously nothing wrong if Governor Wike as a
member of Body of Benchers pays a scheduled courtesy
call on the CJN to discuss issues bordering on
administration of justice in Rivers, but there is everything
wrong with the timing and when the visits were not on
appointment. It is against this backdrop that ulterior
motives were read into the whole issue.
We strongly commend the decision of the CJN to ban
politicians from visiting his office and residence. Equally
worth applauding is the decision that politically-exposed
lawyers are now to be received by the CJN in the presence
of security details.
This, we believe, would not only sustain the ethical
standards associated with the office, but it could shield the
office holder from unnecessary influences capable of
undermining his integrity.
The temple of justice which the CJN personifies is a
hallowed and sacred place that commands an aura which
must not be violated. |
Re: Gov. Wike's Visit To The CJN by PassingShot(m): 6:56am On Aug 06, 2015 |
You will do well to use paragraphs in your write-ups. |
Re: Gov. Wike's Visit To The CJN by kossyablaze(m): 6:56am On Aug 06, 2015 |
To do wat? 3 Likes 3 Shares |
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