A
Nigerian public affairs commentator and columnist has written an
interesting and thought-provoking article on the travails of former
Rivers State governor and Transport Minister, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.
Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi
Blackmail is another weapon Nigerians deploy to flaunt their
innocence whenever they are at threshold of being nailed on any issue.
Most times, the manner Nigerians resort to blackmail stands logic on its
head, twist morality and offend laws of the land.
Although, several Justices in Nigeria are under investigation, but
the case of the two embattled Supreme Court Justices John Iyang Okoro
and Sylvester Ngwuta’s whom the DSS raided, arrested and detained for
alleged judicial corruption has assumed an asinine twist.
Conspiratorially, the duo rushed out in public domain to heap
allegations of attempts to corrupt them by former Rivers State governor
and Transport Minister, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.
They mindlessly lashed out at Amaechi whom they accused of
providing the grounds for their persecution for refusal to tinker with
some governorship elections petitions before the apex court. They
funnily want Nigerians to believe the refusal to be negatively
influenced by one person forecloses the chances of accepting same
request from another person.
Justice John Iyang Okoro started it all. Precisely, on October 17,
2016, he claimed in a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN)
Justice Mahmud Mohammed that he rejected the offer of Amaechi to
influence Justices to alter verdicts on the governorship tussle in
favour of APC in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states. The Justice
expressed strong conviction that his present travails may not be
unconnected with his snubbing of Amaechi’s request to tamper with the
verdicts. And that he made a verbal report to the CJN on February 1,
2016, about Amaechi’s visit to his official residence.
“In that report, I told you my Lord that Mr. Amaechi said the
President of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress mandated him to
inform me that they must win their election appeals in Rivers State,
Akwa Ibom and Abia states at all costs,” he enthused.
Less than 48 hours after Justice Okoro’s publicized allegations on
Amaechi, another embattled colleague also under the heat of DSS over
judicial corruption mouthed the same allegation. What separated the two
were the states involved- only Rivers and Ekiti states guber disputes.
Justice Ngwuta’s allegations were contained in a letter dated
October 18, 2016, also addressed to the CJN. Lamenting his several
unfriendly encounters with Amaechi, the Justice reeled out series of
mindboggling issues, including alleged threats he received from Amaechi.
Interestingly, whatever problem the accused Justices have with the
DSS is strictly their burden to resolve. But the hasty roping of Amaechi
into their dilemma with the DSS based on such hazy recollections and
projection of the abnormal belittles their status as Justices of the
apex court.
By the submissions, it is quite discernible the judges have
advertised issues intended to raise a podium to rubbish and blackmail
Amaechi; except that they are poorly scripted in timing and factuality.
First, from the files of the DSS and the EFCC, at least 15 judges
at various layers of the Judiciary are under investigation currently for
alleged judicial corruption. The submission of Justices Okoro and
Ngwuta in the letter to the CJN is forcing a baseless impression that
the remaining 13 judges too could have possibly turned down Amaechi’s
overtures to influence verdicts in their courts and thus, his invocation
of “harassment” from security agents? It cannot be true.
And lets hypothetically agree that President Buhari is an
interested party in any of the governorships disputes in the mentioned
states, under litigation at the Supreme Court, but everyone knows it’s
impossible for him to delegate Amaechi to influence any judge at his
behest.
Ideally, he would rather parley with the CJN directly expressing
his interest in the cases and it ends it all. But if he cannot
condescend to the level of the CJN, the alternatives are clear and
Amaechi is not in this reckoning by any stretch of imagination.
To further water the impression of the DSS’s arrest and detention
of the Justices as vendetta for their refusal to compromise justice, the
wailing Justices speak as if the Director-General of the DSS or the
Chairman of EFCC take directives from Amaechi, so with his snap of the
fingers to settle a personal grievance, the security agents rushed
after the accused Judges.
But the Justices, especially those on the Bench of the Supreme
Court are the final destination in the interpretation of Laws of
Nigeria. Like the River State APC Chairman, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya
averred in a public statement, the Justices should know better that the
giver and taker of bribes commit criminal offences under the Corrupt
Practices And Other Related Offence Act 2000.
These learned Justices had the opportunity to brighten Nigeria’s
perception of Buhari’s anti-graft war by publicly clipping the wings of
Amaechi who sought to adulterate their verdicts with bribes. But they
reneged; waited for months to be accused of judicial corruption before
they remembered their uprightness or vow not to desecrate their sacred
oath of office. These are tales far from the truth.
Additionally, a very senior Judge like Justice Ngwuta as disclosed
in his distorted epistle to the CJN was threatened by a politician
like Amaechi who came to his house and said ‘we shall see’ several
times,” and he kept mum?
It is conceivable that a Supreme Court Judge would bury obvious
threats to his life and would not even document it with the National
Judicial Council (NJC), but merely inform the CJN verbally. Is he saying
the NJC forbids members of the Bench from taking legal actions against
violators of their rights or when their lives are threatened?
It brings the matter to the doorstep of another realm of reasoning.
Almost all the raided, arrested and detained judges are alleging
innocence and judicial persecution by the Presidency. They have also
qualified the raids of their houses, arrest and detention as illegal and
unconstitutional. It implies the DSS and its principals have infringed
on their fundamental human rights as Nigerians.
But they are unprepared to explain to Nigerians what is restraining
them from challenging DSS action in court, if they are convinced of
their innocence. Or are they implying that laws governing the NJC also
forbid Judges from seeking legal redress over personal injuries or
infringements on them by individuals, government institutions or the
government itself?
These Justices should go back to their factory of doubtful tales
and bark out something more convincing to Nigerians. For now, their
rehearsed fables with the glaring intent of blackmailing Amaechi nay the
FGN to inspire public sympathy has failed to impress anyone and hit the
rocks.
About the Author:
Nkechi Odoma is a public affairs commentator and columnist for TheCable News.
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