Governor Wike dragged to court over multi-million naira 'gifts' to judges
- The Rivers state government has been dragged to court for buying cars for judges and building homes for them
- Rivers governor Wike revealed this in a statement by his media aide on Friday, January 29
- Wike, a lawyer-turned-politician, explained that his gifts were to improve the justice system in the Niger Delta state
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Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike, has explained why his administration consistently shares car gifts and other items to judicial officers, especially judges.
A statement released by Wike's media, Kelvin Ebiri, on Friday, January 29 revealed that the clarification followed a lawsuit filed against the Rivers state government by a Port Harcourt lawyer.
Wike said in the statement that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice told him one lawyer in Port Harcourt went to court against the State Government.
The lawyer said Rivers government had no business in building houses for judges or providing cars for them.
"He said we have no business in building courts for federal institutions and that I have no right to even contribute to the structures in Nigeria law School."
In his reply to the lawsuit, Governor Wike explained that his reason was to help improve the administration of justice the oil-rich south-south state.
Source: Twitter
Wike queried:
"What will be our contribution to the administration of justice, when the structures are dilapidated? That lawyer is saying that what we are doing is not budgeted for. Everybody parades as if they know the law even when they don't know the law.
"People who are ignorant about the budget will just wake up in the morning and tell you the governor has no right to donate money somewhere. They make all kinds of allegations without having the true facts."
In a video also shared on his personal Facebook page, the governor knocked those he described misguided people who were spreading wrong information about his action.
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He said:
“These misinformed lawyers politicise issues of justice administration and sometimes resort to legal battles without a clear understanding of the position of the law on such matters.”
Legit.ng reported recently that Governor Wike told judges in Rivers state to shun acts of corruption.
He made the call on Monday, August 3, 2020, while presenting cars to judges in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
Going further, the governor also accused some judges of insubordination and negligence of duty.
Source: Legit.ng
