Chidi Odinkalu Replies Man Asking If The Judge Who Ruled On Lere Olayinka’s Case Versus Emeka Ike Received A House From Wike

Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, has responded to an X user who questioned whether the judge who dismissed Nollywood actor Emeka Ike’s ₦10 billion fundamental human rights suit against Lere Olayinka had received a house from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The X user, identified as Oserume, had called for a list of judges allegedly given houses by Wike, arguing that Nigerians needed such information to assess whether they could expect justice in cases involving the minister’s interests.

“Did he receive a house from Wike? Let’s start there. Nigerians need a list of judges who have received houses from Wike so that litigants know not to expect justice in cases where Wike has any connection,” Oserume wrote.

Responding, Odinkalu argued that the more fundamental issue was the assignment of politically sensitive cases to particular judges by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

“The real question should be why or how the current Chief Judge of the Federal High Court continues to perpetrate the kinds of case assignments that he does,” Odinkalu wrote.

He alleged that a case involving Wike’s interests had been assigned to Justice Salim Ibrahim, who subsequently decided the matter. He also drew attention to another case involving a young man and bags of millions of dollars, alleging that it had been assigned to Justice Oriji of the FCT High Court.

Odinkalu’s comments came after Emeka Ike expressed disappointment over the Federal High Court’s dismissal of his ₦10 billion fundamental human rights suit against Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Reacting to the judgment, Ike questioned the practical meaning of fundamental human rights, arguing that people could suffer alleged violations, online bullying and public embarrassment without obtaining justice in court.

However, the allegations concerning the assignment of the cases and the suggestion that judges may have received houses from Wike were not substantiated in the statements provided. No evidence was presented to establish that the judge who handled Ike’s suit received a house from the minister.

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