The continued closure of courts in Rivers State has been described as unacceptable by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed.
Calling on the Nigerian Bar Association to intervene in an on-going efforts to reopen the courts and end the suffering of litigants, Justice Mohammed berated the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, for bypassing seniority in the appointment of a new chief judge for the state, which he said was the cause of the closure of the courts.
This was disclosed in a statement by the media aide to the CJN, Mr. Ahukura Isah.
According to the statement, Justice Mohammed spoke in Abuja during a visit to him by a delegation of the NBA, led by the association’s President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, (SAN).
He said “The perpetual closure of courts in River State is unacceptable. The NJC has never said governors can’t appoint state chief judges.
“But the violation of the principle of checks and balances by the state governor in Rivers State as enshrined in the constitution for the appointment and disciplining of erring chief judges or judges is equally unacceptable. Seniority is part and parcel of the legal profession.
“To just appoint a chief judge from any position without recourse to seniority arrangement is an invitation to anarchy in the system, just as we are now witnessing in Rivers State.”
Responding, the NBA President said he had personally met with Amaechi over the continued closure of Rivers courts, disclosing that Amaechi was disposed to a consensus candidate, on the condition that the NJC would withdraw its letter appointing Justice Daisy Okocha as administrative judge of the state.
Alternatively, Alegeh suggested that a Justice of the Court of Appeal could be appointed to head Rivers State judiciary for two years.
However, Justice Mohammed expressed concerns over Alegeh’s suggestion and insisted on his call on the NBA to use its clout and contact to tackle the problem in Rivers State judiciary to mitigate the sufferings of the litigants and lawyers in that state.
The CJN also asked the lawyers to find a way of addressing the step taken by the National Assembly in sending the Constitution Amendment Bill to state Houses of Assembly for ratification without giving the Bar and the bench the opportunity to make an input on matters concerning the judiciary.
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