Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has
paid two visits to the Chief Justice of
Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, at
the Supreme Court, Abuja, this month,
officials have said.
Nyesom Wike
One of the visits to the CJN, it was learnt, coincided
with the day the Rivers State Governorship Election
Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, conducted
hearing in an application filed by Wike to challenge
an order permitting his opponent to inspect the
electoral materials used for the poll that brought
him to office.
Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja
showed that the visits were made without prior
appointments.
The election of the former education minister, who
ran for the governorship on the platform of the
Peoples Democratic Party, is being challenged by
the governorship candidate of the All Progressives
Congress, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.
The Rivers State Governorship Elections Petition
Tribunal had on July 9 reaffirmed its ex parte order
made on June 11, 2015, granting permission to
Peterside, to inspect the electoral materials used
for the poll.
Peterside and the APC had on May 3, 2015, filed
their petition before the tribunal to challenge the
victory of Wike at the poll.
The Justice Muazu Pindiga-led tribunal had in a
ruling dismissed Wike’s application asking for the
setting aside of the June 11, 2015 order.
The judge also adjourned till July 22 for the
commencement of the pre-hearing session in the
petition.
Wike has however denied that his visit to the CJN
had anything to do with his case.
Our correspondent learnt that Wike did not meet
the CJN on his first visit, which was a Monday. The
number one judicial officer in the country was said
to have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Lesser
Hajj.
Wike however repeated the visit two days later,
when he was able to discuss with the CJN.
A source in the governor’s entourage, disclosed to
our correspondent that the members of staff in the
office of Mohammed were shocked to see the
governor.
The source said, “There was no proper
appointment because as soon as the governor
stepped in and said he would like to see the CJN
and was asked if it was on appointment, he
answered in the negative.
“Nevertheless, he was allowed to see the CJN; but
unfortunately, the CJN was not in the country as he
was in Saudi Arabia for the Lesser Hajj.”
The Publicity Secretary of APC in Rivers State,
Chief Chris Finebone, said the visit was curious.
Finebone said though his party believed that the
person of the CJN was beyond compromise, he
nevertheless wondered why Wike refused to carry
the media along during the visits.
He said, “We have no cause to doubt the integrity
of the CJN, but we must say that the visits must
have been made open and known to Nigerians.
Why was it not made known?
“Wike believes that every human being has a price.
His problem is just to identify the price. His case is
pending and he refused to go with the media during
the visits.
“We want to believe that the visits didn’t happen
and if it happened, he must tell Nigerians why he
chose to embark on the visit without the media.”
He called on Nigerians and the people of Rivers to
monitor the activities of the governor.
Reacting to the visit, the national leadership of the
PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said there was nothing
wrong with the visits.
Metuh said that the governor had the right to pay
official visit to the CJN, adding that he (Wike)
should not be vilified because of that.
“Yes, he has the right to pay official visit or
courtesy calls on the CJN and I see nothing wrong
with that,” he said.
Wike, while denying going to lobby the CJN for his
pending tribunal case, told our correspondent that
he was at the office because of the issue
surrounding the appointment of the acting Chief
Justice of Rivers State.
He said since the acting Chief Judge of his state
was appointed about three months ago, there was
the need to seek the permission of the National
Judicial Council to approve and renew the
appointment.
Wike said, “I didn’t go there to lobby for anything
cynical. If I was going to lobby for anything like
that, would I go in the afternoon?
“You may wish to know that we have an acting
Chief Judge in my state, and the judiciary is
already on vacation and that the NJC may also be
on vacation.
“So, I needed to do a letter to the NJC on the need
to extend or approve the appointment of the acting
CJ in my state. I went there on the two days in
daytime; and see Nigerians, they are already
imputing another meaning to the visits.”

Sahara reporters

No full stop. No paragraph...... Where do we start reading......summarize for us before I got change am to my pix below

Commenting from the heading , so rochas that always sleep wit buhari rather than stayin in his state and govern his people need to be stone na ? Jus askin