Judiciary Not Executive Apendage – CJ

The out-going Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Iche  N. Ndu has advised those people whose stock in trade is to drag him and the state Judiciary into the political crisis rocking the state at moment to have a re-think, as the Judiciary was not an executive appendage.

Justice Ndu gave the advice when the members of state association of the Judiciary/Crime Correspondents paid him a courtesy visit in his office, Monday.

The State Chief Judge, who spoke through the Chief Registrar, High Court, His Worship Leonard Adoki, said the state judiciary should not be drawn into the politics of the state, adding that the Judiciary is an independent arm of government like the executive and the legislature.

According to him, even though there is crisis rocking the other arms of government in the state the Judiciary he said, is still independent and can not be party, adding that the Chief Judge can not take side in the matter.

“He can not be bias, the duty of the Chief Judge is to assign any matter to a Judge who is independent. The Judge is the master of in his court and can not be influence by any Judge”.

“The powers of the  presiding Judge in any matter is equal to the powers of the Chief Judge in his own court. They have the same alternate  powers because they are all of the same High Court, it is only the appeal court that has an appealant  jurisdiction  over the High Courts” he stated.

The Chief registrar posited that the Chief Judge can not be bias because he can not influence any judge in his own court, adding that each judge is mature and independent.

He averred that Justice Letam Nyordee who is at the moment handling the matter is matured and can not be influenced by any body adding that the court can not be bias.

It would be recalled that the family of the wounded lawmaker, Hon Okey Chinda in the State Assembly crisis petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC)accusing the State Chief Judge, Justice Iche N. Ndu of bias in handling the matter in the state.