Nigerian human rights activist, lawyer, and professor, Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has weighed in on recent developments surrounding the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (LGA) in Rivers State.
Taking to his official handle on X (formerly known as Twitter), Odinkalu reacted to a tweet announcing the restoration of order in the council secretariat, which had been reclaimed by the LGA chairman.
The original tweet stated, “Supporters of FCT Minister flee as Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA Chairman reclaims council secretariat, restoring order.” This referred to the fallout between supporters of Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the local government authority.
In response, Odinkalu, who once chaired Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission and currently serves as Senior Team Manager for the Africa Program of the Open Society Justice Initiative, questioned the broader implications for the country’s legal profession. He wrote, “For the record, Nyesom Wike is in that distinguished body called the Body of Benchers. This must be how the Body of Benchers governs Nigeria’s legal profession.”