Okorocha tasks lawyers to monitor political campaigns in Nigeria

Governor Okorocha in group pix with Justice Mary Odili and the the Chief judge of Imo State, Jusice Paschal Nnadi as well as others during the Nigerian Bar Association week held in Owerri recentlly

Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has called on lawyers to show genuine interest in the processes to the 2015 elections in Nigeria especially the campaigns of the presidential and governorship candidates to determine whether they are issue-oriented or mere blackmail.

Speaking during the 2015 Law Week of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Owerri Branch with the theme, “2015 General Elections in Nigeria: The Task Before the Legal Profession”, the governor tasked lawyers not wait until election cases are brought to them to handle, before waking up to their responsibilities in the electoral processes in Nigeria.

He urged the lawyers to come up with a communiqué that can address the issue of presidential and governorship campaigns. 

 According to the governor, campaigns should be based on “what can you do for the people and what can you do to change the society positively rather than religion or where one comes from.” 

He continued, “I want to urge you today to advice politicians to discuss issues because you handle their cases, the aftermath of the elections.  And it pains me that even the elites in our society no longer think about issues.  For instance, for me, I said, having done all these infrastructural development, my second tenure if I return by the grace of God, as the governor of Imo State, I will engage in factory, factory, factory, industry, industry, industry, job, job, job, etc.”

Speaking further at the occasion, Governor Okorocha had this to tell the lawyers; “In Nigerian politics, there are factors that determine who wins election, I would want you people to speak about such.  Unfortunately, the federal government has all the powers.  So, I encourage you to struggle to be independent if you must render judgment without fear or favour.”

 “I wish this honourable house would come up with policy statement on some of these issues.  I thank God for the Judiciary as the last hope of the common man.  Today, Nigeria is going through a very difficult moment.  Many are imagining that there will be no election.  Some think that there will be no election in Maiduguri and some of these states where there is Boko Haram.  But the question we must ask ourselves today is that in the face of all these challenges we have in Nigeria, who among the candidates can stop corruption, stop Boko Haram, and unite Nigerian which is about to disintegrate?  Your answer is as good as mine.”

                                                                                              

Earlier in his address, the Chairman of NBA, Owerri Branch Mr. Stanley Chidozie Imo commended the smooth appointment of a new Chief Judge for the state, and thanked Governor Okorocha and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Chukwuma Machukwu Umeh, (SAN) for their respective roles in making sure that the State has a substantive Chief Judge in record time.