CJN Calls Judges to Account Over Conflicting Rulings in Rivers Political Crisis

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has summoned several judges for questioning due to conflicting rulings in political cases in Rivers State.

Additionally, the chief judge of the federal high court has been called in for an inquiry scheduled for Tuesday.

A panel established by the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate this issue will be led by a former justice of the Court of Appeal, along with two heads of courts. The panel is expected to submit its findings by the end of this week.

The chief judge of the Rivers State High Court has also been summoned to appear before the NJC panel next week.

These summonses come in response to formal complaints regarding contradictory rulings on the Rivers State local government area (LGA) elections. On September 4, a state high court ruled that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) could proceed with the LGA elections using the 2023 voter register.

However, on September 30, a federal high court in Abuja countered this decision by barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to RSIEC.

The court further ordered the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies not to provide security for the elections.

Despite these restrictions, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara stated that RSIEC would proceed with the elections as planned, arguing that the court order did not prevent the exercise.

While INEC confirmed its compliance with the federal court order and withheld the voter register, RSIEC claimed it had already received the document from INEC in 2023.

Subsequently, RSIEC conducted council elections across the state’s 23 LGAs on October 5, amid tensions between former Rivers governor Nyesom Wike and his successor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The NJC’s investigation aims to address the inconsistencies in judicial rulings and restore clarity in the judicial process concerning politically sensitive cases.