The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) five governors, also known as the G-5 Governors, made a political statement on Saturday in Abuja that the Supreme Court of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, withdrew from.
In its initial formal response, the Apex Court said categorically that Justice Ariwoola never expressed any happiness that Seyi Makinde, the governor of his home state, is one of the G-5 Governors.
According to a statement by Dr. Festus Akande, Director of Information and Press, Supreme Court of Nigeria, those attributing the words to the CJN were only looking to score easy goals with Justice Ariwoola’s comments at a public event in Port Harcourt, River State.
Our attention has been called to a publication with the headline “I am glad, Makinde is among G-5 Governors,” which has been making the rounds in traditional and social media.
“We want to make it absolutely clear that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, never once made such a statement during his brief remarks at the State Banquet, which was planned as part of the celebrations for the commissioning of the two judicial projects the Rivers State Government undertook.
In times like this, when the nation is gearing up for general elections, issues verging on misunderstandings and misrepresentations of this sort are not always odd, as some people may wish to take advantage of any chance to score extremely cheap goals.
There is nothing that won’t be heard or seen at this vital moment, especially between now and February 2023, when the general elections will be held, since, as we all know, this is the period of active and even unusual politicking.
“People say anything they want to say in order to further their own narrow interests and excessive desires.
We are unable to identify the source of such flagrant fabrication, and we are unsure of the exact moment when the Chief Justice of Nigeria indicated he was pleased that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was a part of the so-called “Integrity Group” or “G-5 Governors.”
Everyone is aware that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honorable Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, is a judicial officer and not a politician, and as such, he would never directly or indirectly make such remarks or insinuations.
We want to clear the air by stating unequivocally that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and other senior judicial officers from across the nation were in Port Harcourt on November 24 and 25 to officially open the two buildings that will house the South-South Liaison Office of the Federal Judicial Service Commission and the Hon. Justice Mary Peter-Odili Judicial Institute, both of which were designed and built by the Rivers State Government.
Even at the State Banquet that was held in conjunction with the events, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) made it clear in his brief remarks that he (CJN) was not in Port Harcourt for the State Banquet but rather to commission the two projects as a mark of honor for the Judiciary and Hon. Justice Mary Peter-Odili, CFR, JSC, Rtd., and later go back to Abuja after.
In a same vein, he professed astonishment upon seeing the “G-5 Governors” (also known as the “Integrity Group Governors”), just as he had done in October 2022 at a luncheon hosted in his honor by his state government in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He was particularly surprised to see Engineer Seyi Makinde, the governor of his own state and a member of the “G-5 Governors,” at the event in Port Harcourt.
He also jokingly said that since HE Engineer Makinde is married to a Rivers State native and is friends with HE Nyesome Wike, he will be able to duplicate the latter’s developmental achievements in Oyo State for the benefit of the populace.
“Of course, this is a statement that, typically, ought to be greeted with acclaim rather than narrow-minded misrepresentations because governance is all about constructive comparisons and healthy competition.
The idea that it is now illegal for the CJN to have come from Oyo state, which conveniently has a member of the organization, Engineer Seyi Makinde, as the Governor, is implied by anybody or any group of people making these terrible assumptions and spreading the disinformation.
The statement added, “Let it be noted that anything said, assumed, presumed, reported or placed in the public domain outside of the foregoing facts, is simply a mere figment of such authors’ imagination and do not in any way represent what the CJN said in Port Harcourt, as we are not ready to join issues with such purveyors of misinformation.
