‘Our democracy is in danger by orchestrated intimidation of Judiciary’

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has been speaking hard on the current ordeal visited on some judges, declaring that the ruling party has deliberately threatened the foundation of democracy by its orchestrated intimidation of the judiciary arm of government through alleged false allegations and illegal arrests.

According to Wike, “because of the orchestrated harassment of judges by the ruling party, no judge will ever deliver judgments against the interest of the Federal Government and the ruling party.”

Speaking in Port Harcourt on Friday during a visit on him by the Port Harcourt branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Governor Wike warned lawyers against allowing the alleged “deliberate destruction of the judiciary under any guise.”

To him, “the ruling party and her officials have elevated the art of frivolous petition-writing against judges as a means of subverting the course of justice.

“Our democracy is in danger. Our democracy has been threatened. What is happening to the Judiciary is very deep. NBA must be careful of the deep implications of what it is also doing in the course of the present attack on the judiciary. All these actions are geared towards silencing everybody, as we head to 2019. If anybody tells you that they are fighting corruption in the judiciary, tell the person that he is lying.”

He alleged that politicians have been empowered to write frivolous petitions against judges. Whether or not the petition is true, the judge is compelled to step aside.”

Speaking further, the governor said: “Any judge who delivers a judgment that is against the interest of the ruling party,  is hounded down by the DSS. They have intimidated judicial officers and put fear in them in a manner that is negatively affecting governance.”

The governor cited the ongoing Ondo State PDP crisis as a point of reference, where he alleged, “frivolous petition has been used to further the interest of the ruling party, and destroy the Judiciary.

On the December 10, rescheduled Rivers rerun elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Wike said, the fact that it was announced less than 24 hours after the Senate ultimatum was an indication that INEC had been lying to people that insecurity was behind the repeated postponements of the rerun elections.

It is recalled that INEC had since March 19 severally postponed the Rivers rerun elections into the National Assembly and state assembly. Till date, the state has been bereft of representation of all its three senators, House of Representatives and members of the State Assembly.

He, however, alleged that the INEC, in its anti-democratic elements, will adduce reasons why the elections may not be conducted on the same premise of security consideration.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Port Harcourt branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Victor Briggs, has commended Governor Wike for what he described as his (Wike) commitment to the development of the state.

The Port Harcourt NBA also thanked the governor for constructing an ultra-modern Law Centre for the branch; assuring the government that lawyers would always support all development programmes.