Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a prominent human rights lawyer, has fiercely rebuked Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike’s demand to the Body of Benchers to punish him for “degrading the legal profession,” alleging that Wike, while under the influence of “dangerous beverages,” seeks to silence his criticism of judicial interference and promising to unveil the minister’s full story “when the time comes.”
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In a blistering social media post on platform X, Chidi Odinkalu, a former National Human Rights Commission Chairman, reacted sharply to Wike’s comments, in which the minister urged the Body of Benchers to discipline him for publicly criticizing judicial rulings without basis. Wike had accused Odinkalu and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of undermining the legal profession, citing an instance tied to a University of Calabar event where media reports falsely suggested that a justice escorted him. He demanded action, saying, “If you don’t discipline somebody, nobody will listen.”
Odinkalu, in his response, turned the tables on Wike, alleging a personal vendetta fueled by intoxication. “Nigeria’s powerful cabinet Minister of the Federal Capital Territory & former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has a very dependent relationship with dangerous beverages,” he wrote. “Last week, he consumed some of that stuff &, while under the influence, asked the #BodyOfBenchers to get me disbarred for saying the truth about his habit of seeking to accessorize the judiciary.”
The lawyer’s retort suggests that Wike’s call for punishment stems from Odinkalu’s outspoken critiques of the minister’s alleged attempts to influence judicial processes—a charge Wike vehemently denied in his address, insisting that his support for judicial infrastructure, such as court buildings and justices’ quarters, was lawful and budgeted. Odinkalu, however, framed Wike’s reaction as an overreach, hinting at deeper revelations. “We will tell his story when the time comes…,” he teased, leaving followers anticipating a potential exposé.
Wike had argued that Odinkalu’s public attacks, such as those on television, intimidate judges and erode professional integrity. “We have so much scared our judges and justices to the point that a judge is going to a mosque or church, and he cannot shake hands with somebody he knows,” Wike lamented, tying Odinkalu’s actions to a broader trend of baseless petitions against jurists. Odinkalu’s response sidestepped these specifics, instead casting Wike’s outburst as a personal failing rather than a substantive critique.
The exchange escalates an ongoing feud between the two, spotlighting tensions over judicial independence and professional conduct in Nigeria. Wike’s demand for discipline contrasts with Odinkalu’s defiant stance, as he frames himself as a truth-teller against a powerful figure he accuses of excess. “I’ve never seen a profession where members of the profession are the ones bringing it down,” Wike had said—a sentiment Odinkalu appears to dismiss with his provocative counterattack.
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