S’Court: Why judge who read verdict on Rivers crisis attended UNICAL convocation with Wike

The Supreme Court has debunked claims that a judge of the apex court, Justice Emmanuel Agim, accompanied the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to the University of Calabar (UNICAL) convocation.

The Star recalls that UNICAL held its 50th anniversary and 37th convocation ceremony in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

The university’s authorities honoured Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, with an honorary doctorate degree in law.

However, pictures from the event showed Wike sitting in the front row alongside Justice Agim who read the Supreme Court judgement on the political crisis in Rivers State, and Ekaette Akpabio, the wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

It would be recalled that the Supreme Court, on February 28, affirmed the judgement of a Federal High Court that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation from releasing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State.

The apex court also nullified the local government election held in Rivers State on October 5, 2024.

A state of emergency was thereafter declared in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, with the governor, his deputy, and members of the State House of Assembly suspended for six months.

Speaking on the reactions that trailed pictures from the UNICAL convocation, the Supreme Court, in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Information and Public Relations of the court, Dr Festus Akande, said Justice Agim attended the convocation as an honouree and an alumnus of the institution.

Akande stated: “We wish to clarify the circumstances surrounding the attendance of Justice Emmanuel Agim at the convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

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“Agim was as an esteemed honouree and an alumnus of the institution, whom the Governing Council had found worthy to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law (Doctor Honoris Causa).

“He was recognised for his significant contributions to the legal profession; which is a reflection of his commitment to justice, integrity, and the rule of law, serving as a model for aspiring legal professionals and students alike.”

He noted that the judge was scheduled to attend the burial ceremony of Justice Stanley Alagoa alongside other Justices of the Supreme Court in Bayelsa State but sought permission to go for the convocation ceremony.

The Supreme Court spokesman added: “We wish to emphasize that Justice Agim’s participation at the ceremony was independent and not as an official representative of any government ministry or department, let alone accompanying any serving or retired government official.

“Any insinuation to the contrary is not only inaccurate but undermines the judicial independence that is crucial to our democracy.

“We encourage the public and media to verify information through credible sources before sharing or publishing, to prevent the spread of misinformation.”

The Star