RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said it was wrong to allow the discretion of sitting governors to override the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC), especially in the nomination of chief judges. He, therefore, sought an end to such privilege.

“Allowing the judiciary to be subjected to the discretion of sitting governors would desecrate its independence   and lead to abuses that would negatively affect the dispensation of justice. 
 
“The system will collapse if we refuse to respect the judicial system of succession as laid out. My administration will never do anything that will threaten the rule of law. We will always uphold the customs and traditions of the judiciary. We never break down the laid down procedure.

The governor, who made the call yesterday in Port Harcourt while swearing in the state’s first female substantive Chief Judge, Justice Daisy Okocha, said his government  acted in line with  the  recommendation of  NJC, which was confirmed  by  the  Court of Appeal  on December  23, 2015.

He described the development as a victory  for  the  rule of law  and  the  respect for the  rules of succession as outlined  by the  NJC. 

Okocha has been on acting capacity since June 1, 2015 after a running battle 30with the immediate past administration in the state.