A pro-civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed as ‘panicky’, and ground less the attempt by the Supreme Court of Nigeria to defend the appearance of Justice Emmanuel Agim at the recent convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar side-by-side with the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike.
Wike is the leader of the 27-members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who benefitted recently from a judgement prepared and read by Justice Agim.
The minister’s battle with Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara was used as the pretext by President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency where Fubara was suspended against national protest and condemnation.
Justice Agim was seen alongside Wike at the Unical event which has received general condemnation.
HURIWA described the trending photos of the duo as inexcusable.
HURIWA said pictures don’t lie just as the rights group said the best approach the nation’s apex court would have adopted is first and foremost suspend him, then issue a query to Justice Agim for putting up an appearance publicly at the anniversary event which raised loud suspicions of alleged affinity between the duo.
The apex court in its statement dismissed the insinuation that Justice Agim was at the event in honour of Wike, in a statement on Monday by the Director of Information and Public Relations of the court, Festus Akande.
The statement reads: “In light of the reports circulating on social media and other news platforms, we wish to clarify the circumstances surrounding the attendance of Hon. Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at the convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar on Saturday, 22nd March, 2025.
“It has come to our attention that misleading information has emerged, suggesting that Hon. Justice Emmanuel Agim accompanied the Hon. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike to the ceremony. We hereby dispel this false narrative.
“Hon. Justice Agim attended the convocation as an esteemed honouree and an alumnus of the institution, whom the Governing Council had found worthy to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law (Doctor Honoris Causa).
But it was the manner in which they sat and posed for pictures that has astonished HURIWA and many Nigerians.
HURIWA said, “The photos and visuals captured in the media of mass communication have raised serious questions about the impartiality of the jurist in the matter involving the political warring parties in Rivers state whose case was resolved controversially by Justice Emmanuel Agim to the dissatisfaction of Governor Fubara, a judgment that opened the pandora box for the illegal declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers state.”
A statement by the group’s National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko on Tuesday said “It will take just more than a mere public relations cum media stunt from the Supreme Court of Nigeria to convince Nigerians that there is no friendship between the duo or that Justice Agim doesn’t have any relationship with one of Nigeria’s most prolific political litigant Mr. Nyesom Wike who is widely alleged to be constantly favoured by judges and justices in the nation’s court system.
“So the Supreme Court of Nigeria should wake up and smell the coffee or pretend that gullible Nigerians have swallowed hook, line and sinker the shallow defensive press statement it recently issued to defend Justice Emmanuel Agim.
The group noted that “public perception matters so much and the only way to clear the doubts in the minds of Nigerians is to subject Justice Emmanuel Agim to internal ethics investigation by the National Judicial Council to determine if he breached any of the ethical codes governing judges and justices of Nigeria.”
HURIWA asserted that the public appearance of Justice Agim and Political litigant Wike has allegedly violated ethical code. “It doesn’t matter whether Justice Agim escorted Wike to the ceremony or that he too was an honoree, but what is in issue is that photo evidence showed that both Agim and Wike displayed a convincing show of friendship during that event”.
The group emphasised that what is in the perception of Nigerians about the likely friendship of the duo of Justice Agim and the FCT Minister has raised serious questions around the impartiality of Justice Agim’s recent controversial verdict against Wike’s political adversary, Fubara.
HURIWA therefore called for immediate suspension of Justice Agim and the constitution of a panel of the NJC to critically examine the behaviours of the Justice at the convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar and the findings of the probe panel should be publicised.
Wike: HURIWA Calls For Suspension, Investigation Of Justice Agim is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Source: The Whistler
