������Ƶ

•Warns against judiciary-politics proximity

Wale Igbintade

Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (Nigeria), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has criticized the presence of Supreme Court Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, at the University of Calabar’s Golden Jubilee Special Convocation held on March 22, 2025.

In a statement issued yesterday, the renowned human rights lawyer argued that the event raised concerns about judicial impartiality, pointing to photographs suggesting improper proximity between political figures and members of the judiciary.

Citing Rule 2.8 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers in Nigeria (2016), Odinkalu emphasised that judges must avoid excessively close relationships with frequent litigants, including government ministers, to prevent any appearance of bias.

He referenced Justice Niki Tobi’s ruling in Buhari vs. Independent National Electoral Commission & Ors (2008), where the Supreme Court warned against judges getting involved in politics, stating: “The two professions do not meet and will never meet at all in our democracy… If they meet, the victim will be democracy, and that will be bad for sovereign Nigeria.”

Odinkalu also cited former Chief Justice Atanda Fatayi Williams, who, in his 1983 memoir ‘Faces, Cases, and Places’, warned that in Nigeria, “familiarity does not breed contempt – it breeds obligation.”

Besides, Odinkalu highlighted the case of Aminu Ado Bayero, the Chancellor who conferred an honourary degree on Wike.

He noted that Justice Agim authored a recent Supreme Court decision favouring Wike’s allies in Rivers State.

Given these contexts, Odinkalu condemned the optics of the convocation, arguing that such interactions undermine judicial independence and democracy.

He accused those involved of showing “hubris and impunity” by disregarding the potential damage to the judiciary’s reputation.