The Five branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Rivers State have appealed to the Rivers state government and the National Judicial Council, NJC, to reconcile their differences and work towards resolving the issue of who becomes the next Chief Judge of the state Judiciary.
The five branches of the NBA including, Port Harcourt, Isiokpo, Ahaoda, Degema and Bori, made the appeal at a media briefing in Port Harcourt.
The statement read by the Degema Chairman of the NBA, Talbot Obaye-Ekine, NBA said the parties should reconcile in line with the provisions of the constitution, stressing that over four thousand practicing lawyers and majority of litigants had been suffering since the beginning of the crisis.
“We urge the parties to ensure mutual co-operation, respect and compliance with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution without further delay.
“As an interim measure, we urge very strongly that the courts should open and function on the position that prevailed before the appointment of an Administrative Judge and powers granted to the Chief Registrar under the amendment to the High Court Law.
“We seize this opportunity to passionately appeal to the parties to consider the plight of the over 4,500 Lawyers in Rivers state and the general public”, the NBA said.
Chairman of the Port Harcourt Branch of the NBA, David Okwakpam called on the members of the Judiciary Staff Union to return to work and continue to carry out their normal responsibilities before they went on strike, stressing that old and pending cases be taken while the state government and NJC settle their difference.
For his part, while thanking the people of the state for their patience and understanding, the oldest practicing Lawyer in the state, Senator Gbene Cyrus Nunieh, appealed to Governor Amaechi to consider the plight of the people of Rivers State.
DailyPost reports that fresh cases were last assigned since August last year and the lingering JUSUN strike is now in its forth month.
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