In a recent statement via his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Chidi Odinkalu, a law professor and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, has criticized the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) for attending an event organized by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), raising concerns about judicial impartiality.
The controversy began after Wike invited the CJN to the flag-off of a new construction project in Abuja.
The project involves the building of judges’ quarters on land previously owned by the construction company Julius Berger which Wike unilaterally revoked Julius Berger’s ownership of the land to make way for the new development.
Odinkalu questioned the implications of the CJN’s presence at the event and pointed out that if Julius Berger decides to challenge the revocation in court, the judiciary’s involvement with the FCT Minister might compromise public trust.
In his post, Odinkalu referenced the Judicial Code of Conduct to underline the importance of maintaining impartiality.
“A Judge shall avoid developing excessively close relationship with frequent litigants such as govt ministers or their officials if such relationship could reasonably create an appearance of partiality.
Rule 2.8 Judicial Code of conduct,” Odinkalu wrote.
The law professor’s statement reflects general concerns about the independence of the judiciary in Nigeria.
Many Nigerians are questioning whether the judiciary can fairly handle cases involving government officials if judges are seen as being too close to them.