Rivers State governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has explained why he visisted the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN.

The governor, on Monday, said the visits were sincere and not meant to lobby the CJN over the election petition in the state.

It would be recalled that several allegations have been raised by both the APC and other individuals, that the visits were meant to corrupt the CJN to favour Wike in an ongoing electoral related matters in Rivers State.

However, in a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media, Simeon Nwakaudu the governor said: “My attention has been drawn to the sinister interpretation given to the visit of Governor Nyesom Wike to the office of the Chief Justice of Nigerian (CJN) as reported on page 2 of the Punch Newspaper of Monday July 20 2015.

“While it is true that the Governor went to see the CJN on the 7th and 9th of July 2015, his mission was to brief the CJN in his capacity as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council on the need to renew the appointment of the Acting Chief Judge of Rivers State and also the Acting president of the Customary Court of Appeal.

“It should be noted that the current tenure of the incumbents will expire by the end of August 2015, by which time the Courts will be on vacation and the National Judicial Council may not be in a position to consider any request for the renewal of their reappointments. There is therefore an urgent need to expeditiously secure the renewal of the appointments of Acting Chief Judge of Rivers State and her counterpart of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal before the vacation begins.

“Although the Governor went to the CJN’s office on the said dates but never met him because he was not around. However, considering the urgency and importance of his mission, the Governor wrote to the CJN the next day 10th July 2015 requesting the approval of the NJC for him to renew the appointments of Justice Daisy Okocha and Justice Christy Gabriel Nwankwo as Acting Chief Judge of the State, and Acting President of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal respectively.

“The requests were premised on the need to avoid a sudden vacuum and ensure continuity in the administration of the State’s Judiciary pending the appointment of substantive occupants into these offices.

“There is nothing wrong in the Governor, who is also a member of the Body of Benchers, going to see the CJN during official working hours on issues pertaining to the effective administration of justice in Rivers State.

“Therefore, linking the Governor’s visit to the CJN with the ongoing election petition is to say the least, malicious, tendentious and a wicked attempt to drag the name of our most revered CJN and indeed the apex Court into the murky waters of politics.

“It is unfortunate that the management of Punch Newspapers will allow itself to be used by politicians to denigrate and impugn the integrity of judiciary at the federal level with fabrications and outright falsehood laced in insinuations and innuendos.

“Governor Wilke advises the management of Punch newspapers to caution their reporters to always base their reportage on facts and avoid actions that could trigger a crisis of confidence in judiciary just to satisfy some narrow political interests.”