From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said he would not succumb to sentiment over who becomes the next chief judge of the state.
Governor Wike also said he has conveyed to the House of Assembly a letter of recommendation from the National Judicial Commission (NJC).
Wike spoke when he received a delegation of Okpo Club of Nigeria at the Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
He said the process of appointment of a substantive chief judge is based on constitutionality and not sentiment.
“I have conveyed the NJC’s recommendation to the House of Assembly. I am not the one who recommended, mine is to act on the recommendation of NJC. I never wrote letter to NJC, I am not a member of Judicial Service Commission (JSC).”
He said the names of two most senior judges of the state High Court were submitted by the JSC to the NJC early to avoid the situation of having a chief judge in acting capacity.
“Nobody can intimidate me with any kind of sentiment. I will do what is right. We knew the crisis that happened in this state. What was the crisis? JSC submitted Daisy Okocha’s name and Agumagu’s name. Of course, Okocha was the most senior. But, even at that, Agumagu was the president of Customary Court of Appeal. NJC members in their wisdom said no, we are going to recommend the most senior judge and recommended Okocha.
“The then governor said no, I will not take the recommendation of NJC and went on his own to swear in Agumagu as acting chief judge. The constitution is very clear. It is only the most senior that will be an acting chief judge and that was the crisis.
“In this case, there is nothing like acting chief judge. I don’t want to have acting chief judge. I want to do my own thing on time and we did it on time. And JSC submitted two names and NJC recommended one and you are now playing politics that it is the governor,” he said.
The governor said NJC is constitutionally empowered to recommend who becomes a chief judge and stressed that it was mischievous for the International Federation of Women Lawyers and some lawyers to politicise the appointment of judicial officers by the NJC.
Wike hinted on the possibility of establishing a new judicial division in the state, particularly in Bonny to reduce the problems associated with justice delivery in that area.
