Disgrace Us Publicly If Ordered To Subvert Justice-Fubara Tells Rivers CJ
4 min readAt the opening of the 2024/2025 legal year and rededication service organized by the Rivers State judiciary, the state governor, Sim Fubara told the state chief judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, to disgrace him publicly any he approaches him to influence his decision on judicial matters.
Apart from himself, the governor also told the chief judge to do same to any other person who calls to direct him on the kind of court orders or judgements to give on issues before him.
Saying that he would never call or direct the chief judge to subvert justice, Fubara said the chief judge should be bold and fearless in the handling of his duties, even as he said he was aware that people were threatening and mounting pressure on him to do what was wrong.
The governor said it was unfortunate that in Nigeria, some persons were bigger and stronger than institutions and lamented that the situation was not healthy for the country.
“What we are praying for in this country is institutional strength and not individual strength. Institutional strength is the only thing that will bring development in this country.
“If I am a businessman, and I am coming into Nigeria to invest, why will I invest when what I am seeing today is that institutions are weak and individuals are stronger than institutions?”
“This State belongs to all of us. It is not about Fubara today. If this institution is destroyed, when another person comes in tomorrow, it is the same thing that will happen.
“We need to stand and defend it, and you are the right people to do it. I am here today to assure you that even if I have my last breath, I will defend the cause of justice in this State.”
Saying that he would defend the course of justice in the state despite the cost, Fubara said the judiciary must and should always hold up such assurances for everybody that approached it, and not the other way.
He lambasted some legal luminaries, who smeared their conscience to canvass what was professionally an aberration, doing so to please their pay masters. “Some of you, you say you are legal luminaries. You know the truth, but you will go on air just to pacify your pay masters to turn the law upside down.
“We all know the law when it comes to issues that have to do with the administration of governance in the State; it is within the jurisdiction of the State High Court.
“It doesn’t matter whether you joined INEC, or Police. It is a State’s matter! I am not a lawyer, but I know that one. And you stand and say you are doing the right thing? God will judge you.”
He reminded judges in the state to realize that they represented God on earth and should always be fair and just when handling cases, no matter who was involved.
He said: “Let me say it here so that you will understand: Judges, you are the God that we are seeing. Your position is to stand and defend us. Your position is to look at whoever and tell the person the truth.
“Because if you don’t do it here, you will have a big question to answer. The preacher said it, every evil done in the course of administering justice, you will pay for it dearly.”
He added, “I want to thank the Rivers State Judiciary, more especially, the High Court of Rivers State, for your support, for keeping this administration afloat up untill this hour.
“We know quite alright that a good number of you have been threatened by way of phone calls and even physical assaults. We are also aware that some of you have been threatened professionally through petitions that are fake and frivolous.
“But one thing that you need to understand is that you must be persecuted when you are doing the right thing. And those of you who are doing the right thing that are being fought from all sides, be courageous. Very soon, this whole thing will be over. Nothing lasts forever.”
In his sermon, the Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta North, Rt. Rev. Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, preaching on the topic, “Called To Uphold Justice”, said Nigeria is collapsing, owing partly to the conflicting judgments always emanating from courts of coordinate jurisdiction, which have deepened the festering crisis.
Such deliberate incoherence from the Judiciary, Bishop Ihunwo, noted, skews leadership, jeopardises unity of the country, and affects smooth governance, making Nigerians direct or indirect needless victims of such brute justice system.