Chidi Odinkalu, a law professor and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, recently commented on a court order regarding the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
In a statement posted on his official X account, Odinkalu stated that the FCT High Court Judge, who issued the order to relocate the protesters to Moshood Abiola Stadium, hails from the same village as Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Odinkalu remarked, “I didn’t really want to be the person saying it, but the @fcthighcourt judge who gave the order to kettle #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters in the Moshood Abiola Stadium just happened to come from the same village as the Minister of the FCT, the plaintiff. Calculate the odds!”
This observation has sparked discussions about potential conflicts of interest and the impartiality of the judiciary in this case. Critics are questioning whether the judge’s connection to Minister Wike may have influenced the ruling, which many view as an attempt to suppress the voices of those protesting against poor governance in Nigeria.