Over the weekend, Clark made the plea in an open letter to the CJN.
Reflecting on his nearly sixty years of experience, Clark called for reforms to address a number of issues, such as the reorganization and realignment of the Judicial Services Commission and the National Judicial Council. He emphasized that the persistent negative publicity damages the standing of the respected profession.
In an open letter to your Lordship, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Clark stated, “My Lord, I have decided to write this open letter to your Lordship because the alleged corruption and the malpractices in the Judiciary amounting to the naked abuse of the office can no longer be tolerated because it is a big dent to the image of the noble profession to which we all belonged.”
The Niger Delta guy apologized for any trouble or humiliation his open letter may have caused.
He did, however, recall that he had previously addressed issues inside the judiciary in an open letter he had sent to Justice Dahiru Musdapher in 2011.
Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa’s remarks were deemed careless, inconsiderate, and playful by Clark.
Clark emphasized the unlawful midnight raids on judges’ homes and the cruel treatment of former CJN Justice Walter Onoghen in his criticism of the legal system.
In addition, he brought up the socializing that has taken place between the judiciary and those senators who are being prosecuted for crimes and the inconsistent rulings made by the same courts in other parts of the nation.
Clark also mentioned the recent words Justice Adamu Dattijo, a former Supreme Court judge, made in his farewell speech. According to Justice Dattijo, corrupt activities have undermined Nigeria’s legal system.
“I have witnessed the finest of the legal profession and the judiciary. Some of us chose to study law in the United Kingdom because of the arrogance of the country’s most revered justices as well as the pride of the legal profession at the time and the judges’ positions in the various Nigerian courts.
“My Lord, who guided the judges of the Supreme Court in the historic petition or memorandum, is now serving as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), and as such, you have all the power and duty to address these serious inconsistencies in the historic letter that the Hon. Justices of the Supreme Court wrote under your direction, just as your former colleague, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, did.
“I reiterate that you possess complete authority to restructure the Judiciary as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.”
The news media has also said that, despite having access to reports that could help him implement the reform, the present CJN seems uninterested. Even from the media, I learned that Your Lordship disapproves of civil rights organizations’ protests and public opinion in general, as well as other respected public opinions that shouldn’t affect the judges’ decisions. These opinions run counter to those of Justice Dahiru Musdapher, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“I am convinced that Your Lordship can accomplish the same tasks as your previous in-office predecessor did, and that is the primary reason I have chosen to write this open letter to Your Lordship,” Clark stated.