Nigerian Judiciary In Wike’s Pocket – Sowore Alleges
Human rights activist and leader of the #RevolutionNow Movement, Mr Omoyele Sowore, has accused Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as the primary figure responsible for corrupting the Nigeria’s judicial system.
In a post on his X handle (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Sowore pointedly described Wike as a “major corruptor” of the judiciary.
Sowore revealed that the former governor of Rivers State, is popularly referred to within judicial circles as the “Golden Boy of the Judiciary,” due to his remarkable ability to allegedly corrupt legal processes.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC)
specifically accused Wike of inducing judicial officers by building homes for them and allocating prime land in Abuja to senior judges.
In the words of Sowore; “This reputation stems from Wike’s history of intervening in judicial matters to sway outcomes in his favor”.
The activist also said that Wike’s influence extended to awarding contracts to senior judges and specifically referenced Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, who served as the President of the Court of Appeal from 2014 to 2020.
Sowore said; “During her tenure, Wike reportedly gave her a contract to construct the Court of Appeal building in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State”.
Justice Bulkachuwa, the first female President of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, was succeeded by Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.
Sowore also alleged that Wike’s power over the judiciary was so substantial that he could secure favorable rulings even before formally requesting for them.
According to Sowore, Wike’s corruption of the judiciary predates his time as Rivers State governor, adding that the FCT Minister was the go-to-person for buying judicial rulings in election tribunals and other contentious legal cases.