Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyeson Wike, has cautioned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) against misleading his clients.
Falana, during an interview on national television, argued that the Supreme Court judgment on the Rivers crisis had nothing to do with who was the authentic Speaker of the Rivers Assembly.
Falana made the comments while analysing the issues surrounding the defection of the 27 members of the House of Assembly as determined by the Supreme Court.
Responding, Olayinka, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said, “It was based on the Supreme Court judgment that Justice Emmanuel Obile of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt dismissed the suit filed by the Labour Party against the alleged defection.
He pointed out that Justice Obike dismissed the suit on ground that the Supreme Court’s ruling had finalised the issue of defection.
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“But Falana went on television to misrepresent what happened to his client that the Supreme Court didn’t rule on the defection.
“The same Falana said three members of the Rivers House of Assembly can carry out legislative functions despite the provision of Section 96 (1) of the 1999 Constitution which provides that the quorum of a House of Assembly shall be one-third of all the members of the House.”
The spokesman also faulted Falana’s argument that “only those who have handled cases in trial court or appellate court are lawyers”.
Olayinka also described Falana’s position that a lawyer must have handled cases in trial or appellate court to be qualified for appointment as a Life Bencher as “funny and ridiculous”.
He explained that Wike got his membership of the Body of Benchers on merit, having contributed immensely to the advancement of legal education.
“As Governor of Rivers, Wike was instrumental to the establishment and infrastructural development of the campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt, adjudged the best centre for legal education in Nigeria.
“Wike also played major roles in the development of facilities at the Yenagoa campus of the Nigerian Law School by constructing a state-of-the-art 1,500 capacity hall and 200-bed male and female hostels, among other interventions.
“Now as FCT minister, Wike is constructing a 10-unit housing quarters for the Nigerian Law school, Bwari, Abuja.
“He has also provided operational vehicles to the school to improve its operation,” he said.
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