Wike accuses NJC of intimidating judges, swears in four

By MIKE ODIEGWU, Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has described as alarming the intimidation of judges by the National Judicial Commission (NJC).

He believes that the judiciary does not do enough to protect judges.

He said most politicians who lose cases will always write petitions to the NJC against judges.

The governor was of the view that if members of the Bench were not protected by their colleagues, they would remain victims of intimidation.

Wike spoke while inaugurating four new judges of the Rivers State High Court at Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday.

They are Popnen Sylvester Sunday, Daketima, Gabriel Kio, Chinelo Chidubem Odili and Nsirim Chinwe Amanda.

Sunday and Kio were both private legal practitioners; Nsirim and Odili were chief magistrates.

The governor said with the peak of political activities in 2022, there would be an increased level of intimidation of judges.

He said most political gladiators were bent to have their way in every legal matter that involved them and never believed judgement to be against their prayers before the court.

Wike pointed out that when judges knew that their colleagues would rise in their defence, they would be courageous to handle cases, including political matters without shying away.

He said: “If what is going on now is not stopped by NJC, I can assure you no political matter will go before any judge and that judge will have any courage to handle such matter.

“The intimidation by NJC on these judges is quite alarming and I have to say it clearly: if you don’t give your judges support to do what they’re supposed to do, then let us better forget that in 2023 that we will have it easy.

“From next year (2022), it will be very turbulent and so matters will come before judges, allow them to dispense the matter the way they think it is. That is why there is always an appeal.

“But the moment any judge gives a decision, we politicians we must always write a petition. That you cannot take away.

“No politician losses any case and thinks that there is nothing that went wrong.”

Wike urged the new judges to take their job seriously, promote a healthy work culture and avoid needless adjournments that delayed dispensation of cases.

He said: “But frankly speaking, yes, you’ve been appointed as a judge, but again there are responsibilities too.

“Some of you were private legal practitioners, two of you were former chief magistrates.

“As private legal practitioners, you’re used to blaming judges for not sitting on time, of not being serious with their work.

“But by the grace of God, you have joined the league so that you’ll begin to sit on time and then take your work very seriously and make sure that judgments are given the way you wanted it when you were a private legal practitioner.

“When a date is fixed, there should not be excuses to say that the judgment is not ready.

“Make sure that there are no unnecessary adjournments when judgement are fixed to be given.” (The Nation)