The leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Rivers State has called on Tony Okocha, the sacked Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state to issue an immediate apology to Justices Sika Aprioku, C.N. Wali, and G.O. Ollor of the Rivers State High Court following his alleged derogatory remarks about the judges.
The chairpersons of the eight NBA branches in Rivers State issued a statement accusing Okocha of denigrating the Rivers State judiciary by referring to it as a “supermarket” after he was dismissed by a judgment from Justice Aprioku in a suit filed by an APC chieftain.
The statement, jointly signed by NBA Port Harcourt Branch Chair Cordelia Eke, Isiokpo NBA Branch Chair Cashmia Ofurum, and six others, emphasized that the judges are apolitical and adhere to a strict code of conduct that limits unnecessary public interactions.
The NBA criticized Okocha for using offensive language that undermines the judiciary and the legal profession, suggesting instead that he should have “pursued an appeal.”
The statement also urged “litigants and the public to avoid harassing judges and to focus their efforts on legitimate legal channels.”