During the weekend, photos of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),Nyesom Wike, Emmanuel Agim, judge, Supreme Court and Ekaette Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio at UNICAL 50th anniversary and 37th convocation ceremony has raised a lot of debate on social media alledging that Agim read the S’Court judgements passed concerning the Rivers political crisis in favour of Wike.
According to a report from TheCableng, on February 28, the supreme court affirmed the judgment of a federal high court that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from releasing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers state.
The apex court had ordered the CBN to withhold Rivers’ financial allocations until Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, presented the state appropriation bill to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the assembly.
The supreme court also nullified the local government election held in Rivers state on October 5, 2024.
The judgment of the supreme court had given advantage to the Amaewhule-led faction, which is loyal to Wike.
In a statement on Monday, Akande Festus, the director of information and public relations at the supreme court, said the comment that Agim accompanied Wike to the ceremony was “misleading and false”.
Festus amplified that the participation of the supreme court judge at the ceremony was independent, noting that Agim was an esteemed honouree and an alumnus of the institution.
“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),” the statement reads.
“He was recognized for his significant contributions to the legal profession, which is a reflection of his commitment to justice, integrity, and the rule of law, serving as a model for aspiring legal professionals and students alike.
“Hon. Justice Agim was scheduled to attend the burial ceremony of Hon. Justice Stanley Alagoa alongside other Hon. Justices of the Supreme Court in Bayelsa State but sought permission to go for the convocation ceremony.
“We wish to emphasize that Justice Emmanuel Agim’s participation at the ceremony was independent and not as an official representative of any government ministry or department, let alone accompanying any serving or retired government official.
“Any insinuation to the contrary is not only inaccurate but undermines the judicial independence that is crucial to our democracy.”
