Chief Judge Must Not Be Most Senior Judge – Lawyer

A Port Harcout-based
lawyer and human rights activist, Barr. Samuel Akpenpuun, has said  that a State governor is not obligated to appoint the most Senior High Court Judge to the position of Chief Judge of the State.
Barr. Akpenpuun, who was reacting to the judgement of the High Court of Rivers State  on the appointment   of the Rivers State Chief Judge in Port Harcourt, at the weekend, stated that there were precedents in Rivers State where the most Senior Judge of the High Court were not appointed as Chief Judge.
The lawyer pointed out that during  Chief Melford Okilo’s administration in the old Rivers State, Justice Waripomo Ngboku was appointed as Chief Judge in spite of Justice Ichoku, who as the most Senior Judge in the State.
However,  he acknowledged that  the appointment of a State Chief Judge ought be on the recommendation of the State Judicial Council (SJC).
Barr. Akpenpuun also remarked that it was saddening that the position of the state chief judge was being politicized.
He described judiciary as the last hope of the common man and expressed regrets that the power of the third arm of government was gradually being whittled down.
Barr. Akpenpuun noted that the issue should be resolved quickly so that justice would continue to prevent in the society.
He pointed out that the issue of who should be the next chief judge ought not be allowed to destabilise the judiciary.

L-Rt: Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, Mrs Fatou Bensaoda, National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke (SAN), President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukthar, at the International Seminar on the Imperatives of the Observance of Human Rights and International Human Law Norms in Internal Security Operations in Abuja on Monday

Chidi Enyie