The Rivers State chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for a truce in the face-off between the Rivers State Government and the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the appointment of a Chief Judge of the state.
The association said the truce was necessary so that the striking judiciary workers in the state could return to work to enable lawyers and citizens return to the courtrooms to avert anarchy.
The judiciary workers under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) embarked on strike on June 10 to protest against threats to their lives and their jobs as a result of conflicting directives from the NJC and the State government.
The Rivers State Judicial Service Commission had threatened to take serious disciplinary action against any staff that obeyed any instruction from Justice Daisy Okocha, who was appointed an administrative judge by the NJC.
The NBA, at a press briefing monday in Port Harcourt, said it had resolved to wade into the impasse to ensure that the situation did not degenerate into anarchy.
The briefing was co-ordinated by the most senior practising lawyer in the state, Dr. Cyrus Nunieh, who also signed the press statement that also included the chairman of the five branches of the NBA in Rivers State.
They are the Chairman of Port Harcourt branch, Dennis Okwakpam; Chairman of Ahoada branch, Collins Obulor; Chairman of Isiokpo branch, Promise Iwezor; Chairman of Bori branch, Joe Berebo; and the Chairman of Degema branch, Talbot Obaye-Ekine.
The NBA also mentioned the plight of lawyers in the state who have been shut out of the courts for the past 90 days as one of the reasons it decided to intervene in the lingering crisis.
“The closure of the courts has caused immense hardship to lawyers and the general public who have something to do with the courts as an avenue for ventilating their grievances and those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law,” they lamented.
According to them, “Deeply concerned by the unfortunate state of affairs, the chairmen of the five branches of the Nigerian Bar Association in Rivers State namely, Port Harcourt, Ahoada, Isiokpo, Bori and Degema, by the mandate of their members have been engaging the parties under the leadership of the most senior lawyer in Rivers State, Senator Cyrus Nunieh with the view of finding a solution.”
The NBA stated: “After deep consideration of the issues involved and in particular, the negative consequences that will flow from protracted litigations, we have proposed the following to the parties: that the appointment of the Chief Judge of a state under the constitution of Nigeria can only be achieved with the cooperation between NJC and the governor of Rivers State.
“Accordingly, we urge the parties to ensure mutual co-operation, respect and compliance with the provisions of the Nigerian constitution without delay. And in the 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 the powers granted to the chief registrar under the amendment to the High Court Law of Rivers State.
“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. Let the day not come when anarchy will prevail. Aggrieved persons who cannot have access to the courts are likely to resort to non-conventional methods in redressing any perceived wrong done to them”.
They urged lawyers in the state to remain calm and patient as they were hopeful that their effort would yield results.
“For our members we urge them to remain calm as achieving peace is often a difficult process. Our engagement with the parties is still continuing and we are hopeful that our efforts will yield positive results towards the enthronement of normalcy in the Rivers State judiciary,” they said.
