Senior members of the Nigerian legal community, such as well-known human rights attorney Femi Falana (SAN), have been accused by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike of purposefully disseminating misleading information about the ongoing legal battle involving defected lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly.During a live media discussion that was aired by TVC News and available on YouTube, Wike criticized what he called “dishonest advocacy” that seeks to distort the facts surrounding the court rulings on the defection issue.
Wike clarified that the affected lawmakers, who were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before defecting, had already been declared defectors by the Court of Appeal. He added that the matter went to the Supreme Court, where a cross-appeal was filed and a definitive pronouncement was made, affirming the defected status of the lawmakers. The FCT Minister insisted that the legal position on the matter is settled and accused Falana and others of deliberately misleading the public by claiming the case was still active at the Federal High Court.
“When people like Femi Falana lie, that’s where the problem starts,” Wike said in the interview. “A Senior Advocate going to court to lie that the issue of defection is at the Federal High Court? You refused to talk that you did a cross-appeal when the Court of Appeal gave judgement that these people have defected. You had a cross-appeal in the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court made a pronouncement about it.”
He continued, “What happened a few days ago? The Federal High Court said the Supreme Court has settled this matter of defection. If people of that level can come on national television and lie… there are things you don’t do. That’s the problem I have with some senior lawyers who live on telling lies.”
