Gladys Nweke
The gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressive Congress in Rivers State, Tonye Cole has promised to work closely with the judiciary to rekindle the hopes of the common man when and if he is elected governor come 2019.
Mr Cole spoke when some members of Judiciary workers paid him a solidarity visit in PortHarcourt on Tuesday.
He noted that Judiciary, as it is always said, is the last hope of a common man. “If it must continue to give hope, then those who work to make that possible must be empowered and protected to do so without fear or favour.
“When I become Governor by the Grace of God and the will of the people, I will strengthen the Judiciary in Rivers State and position it for the speedier dispensation of Justice.
Tonye Cole stressed the need for an autonomous and vibrant judiciary, adding that “The Judiciary, in my time, will have full autonomy, both financially and otherwise; to such a degree that those whose business it is to dispense justice are allowed and encouraged to do so only according to the dictates of their conscience.
“I am of a family of great lawyers and Judges in Nigeria. My uncle was one of the foremost lawyers to be conferred with the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he was the first indigenous Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Nabo Graham-Douglas.
“We also had Donald Graham-Douglas SAN. So, I know what it takes to interface with lawyers and judges at the highest levels.
“I remember those days when I use to visit my uncle Nabo Graham-Douglas, while he was Chief Judge of Rivers
State and other Judges would come to visit him. It was usually cherishing then to behold the forthrightness of the Judges, which you could decipher even from their demeanour and utterances.
“They were men of honour, whose consciences were their mirror. I honestly believe that not much has changed with our Judges of today, except public perception.
“When we win, we shall work relentlessly with the Chief Judge of the State to restore and maintain that revered glory of the Judiciary.
“We shall bring back that hope and trust in our Judiciary, and erase the public perception that justice could be bought under any guise.
“We shall rebuild confidence and reassure the people that the judges of today are still men of integrity, who are ruled by the dictates of their own conscience like the judges of yesterday.
“The Judiciary is our partner in Government, not a subsidiary of the Executive. We shall work with them to restore hope to Rivers people”
