Falana dares Wike to report him to LPDC over judgment analysis on 27 Rivers Lawmakers defection

A foremost human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN Femi Falana who has faulted the Supreme Court judgment on Rivers State political case that restored the 27 State lawmakers to dared the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike to report him to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee.

This was even as Falana was said to have analysed the judgment and faulted the apex Court over its decision on the political crisis.

Falana in a statement titled: “I did not lie against the Supreme Court of Nigeria”, insisted on his analysis and accused Wike of attempt to incite the apex Court against him.

The lawyer dismissed Wike’s threat as “spurious and tendentious in its material fact”, stressing that he did not misrepresent the Supreme Court’s decision on the defection of 27 Rivers State Assembly lawmakers loyal to Wike.

Falana in the statement released on Monday reacted to FCT Minister’s public criticism of him during a media conference in Abuja which was widely aired on Channels and other popular media outlets.12 April 2025

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It was recalled that Wike claimed Femi Falana, a senior lawyer misrepresented the Supreme Court’s ruling and threatened to report him to the disciplinary arm of the body of lawyers in Nigeria.

Wike said, “If someone of Femi Falana’s calibre can go on national television and lie, it’s very serious. Lies can cause a lot of crises.”

Reacting further, Falana noted that Wike’s response to his analysis was scurrilous particularly for telling the public that he lied on the defection of the 27 Rivers State lawmakers.

Falana said, the issue on defection which is pending at the Federal High Court in Portharcourt before the Supreme Court made its ruling calls for concern.

Part of the statement read“I did not lie against the Supreme Court in respect of the judgment in question. All I said was that the matter of the defection of the 27 legislators was raised suo motu and determined by the eminent Justices of the apex court.”

Falana said he hinged his analysis on video evidence and sworn affidavit of the defection of 27 lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, adding that his right to criticize the Supreme Court on its decision was provided in the Constitution and international human rights law.

“My fundamental right to criticise the decisions of courts is guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” he said.

He accused Wike of hypocrisy, reminding of attacking Justices of Courts if the case wasn’t in his favour.

Falana added, “Unlike Mr. Wike, who calls judges names whenever they disagree with his politics of opportunism, I have always criticised the judgments of domestic and regional courts with utmost decorum and in good faith.

“Since he has become the unsolicited defender of the judiciary, I challenge him to report me to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for professional misconduct,” Falana said.