CJN, please mind the gap

At a recent ceremonial dinner organised by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, to honour him, Justice Tajudeen Olukayode Ariwoola, the Chief Justice of Nigeria dabbled into the realm of partisan politics, which is clearly against his position as the chief law officer of the country.

The ceremony, which took place at the Government House, Port Harcourt, had in addition to Governor Wike, four other governors embroiled in the ongoing crises within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in attendance.

It is no secret that the five governors have been at loggerheads with the leadership of the PDP which they all belong to.  

The five governors earlier referred to as G-5 governors, now belong to a larger group known as The Integrity Group.

In his remarks at the occasion, the CJN said, “The things that he (Wike) is bestowing to generations unborn will be hard to beat. That is why he says it all. Anytime he has the opportunity he would say yes, he would not be in office forever, but whatever time he has to spend in office, let it be spent very well’’.

And in reference to the governors present, the CJN further said, “That is why we should not be scared to have these men of the Integrity Group.’’ He went on, “And I am happy that my own governor is among them because he would try to imitate his friend and in-law because we came here to marry for my governor. So, Governor Wike will always threaten that he will call back his sister if my governor fails to play ball.’’

Although, the CJN later clarified that his statement was meant as a joke and harmless banter, we think as many Nigerians did that this was a joke taken too far. A measure of how Nigerians view the CJN’s indiscretion came from the call by the Association of Professionals for a Greater Nigeria (APGN) through a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Amos Data-John, which described the CJN’s statement as “Outrageous, ignoble, and unbecoming of a personality of his stature’’.

Last week, there was a protest in the FCT by a group of persons calling for his resignation over the same statement. That in itself is embarrassing and should not be.

We flay the CJN for the statement and urge him to refrain from such in the future.  

It is ironic that the CJN, who in August this year while declaring open the 2022 conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, cautioned politicians against undermining the judiciary, would now be seen getting cosy with the same politicians.

In the first place, his presence at a gathering of a group of political figures who are involved in actions that may potentially lead to litigation by persons within their political party or even the party itself was not proper. We believe that for such a situation of weighty sensitivity, the CJN should have sent a subordinate to represent him.

And if it became necessary for him to accept and honour such an occasion with his presence, he should be circumspect in what he has to say in view of his position as the overall head of the judiciary, which is an independent arm of government in its own right.

From the statement credited to him at the Port Harcourt occasion, it would appear that the CJN allowed himself to get carried away such that he forgot to exercise the necessary discretionary awareness that should guide his utterances on such occasions.

Such flippancy could open him up to the accusation of being compromised by politicians to do their bidding in crucial matters of intra and inter party disputes as well as litigations arising from electoral matters.

We believe that more than anyone else, the CJN knows the implication of not observing the necessary discretion that his position calls for. In the past few years, the Judiciary has been rocked with all kinds of issues, which tend to cast an unflattering light on some of its members. As has come to light, a number of these issues had to do with judges allegedly compromising their positions with politicians, which goes against their sworn duty to be non-partisan and above board on judicial matters. This much was acknowledged by the CJN and which he promised to tackle head on as a priority under his watch.

We find it incongruous, therefore, that having identified this very issue as one of the challenges facing the Judiciary with a pledge to tackle it, the CJN will now be seen to be encouraging it as he did at the Port Harcourt event. It is simply contradictory on the part of the CJN and we advise strongly that he desists from further involvement in such clearly partisan liaisons with political figures.

Daily Trust makes this call bearing in mind that in barely a couple of months, the tempo of political activities will reach a climax with the general elections scheduled to hold in the first quarter of next year. Accordingly, it bears no reminding that the judiciary at the head of which is the CJN, will be expected to render its duties without fear or favour in the abiding interest of the nation.