‘Baseless’ – Falana reacts to Wike’s claim on Supreme Court ruling

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has rejected claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that he misrepresented a recent Supreme Court ruling on the defection of lawmakers in Rivers State.

At a press briefing last week in Abuja, Wike condemned Falana for allegedly making false claims about the Supreme Court’s position on the defection of 27 lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The former Rivers governor described Falana’s comments on national television as “a serious lie” capable of inciting public unrest.

He said: “A few days ago, the Supreme Court settled this matter of defection.

“If someone of Femi Falana’s calibre can go on national television and lie, it’s very serious. Lies can cause a lot of crisis.”

In a statement issued Sunday, Falana dismissed Wike’s remarks as “baseless and tendentious.”

He maintained that his commentary on the judgment was factual and grounded in legal observation, not political interest.

“I did not lie against the Supreme Court in respect of the judgment in question,” Falana said.

READ ALSO: Falana urges Tinubu to sack Rivers sole administrator for violating presidential directive

“All I said was that the matter of the defection of the 27 legislators was raised suo motu and determined by the eminent Justices of the apex court.”

He noted that the defection issue was still being heard at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt at the time of the Supreme Court ruling, making the apex court’s intervention an unsolicited one, suo motu and a procedural nuance that warranted public commentary.

Falana also expressed surprise at Wike’s sudden hostility and recalled that the minister himself had praised the ruling during a thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt.

“However, he decided to attack me for commenting on the same judgment without any legal justification,” he stated.

Firm in his stance, Falana invoked his constitutional right to free expression under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, insisting he was within his rights to critique the judiciary’s actions.

“I challenge him to report me to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for professional misconduct,” Falana said, brushing off any suggestion that his statements were unethical.

He warned that Wike’s attempts to stifle legal critique could set a dangerous precedent, potentially weakening public trust in the justice system.

“While Mr. Wike believes that it is a professional anomaly to criticise the decisions of judges, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has always welcomed the criticism and review of its judgments,” Falana argued. “The Justices believe they are prone to make mistakes like all mortals.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now