Eminent lawyer and activist Ebun-olu Adegboruwa is weighing his options after All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Engr. Joe Igbokwe ate the humble pie and retracted his allegation of sale of justice levelled against Justices of the country’s Supreme Court.

Adegboruwa disclosed this in a Facebook post on Saturday entitled ‘On Joe Igbokwe And The Judiciary’. He wrote:

“I’ve received several calls, from several people, including Joe Igbokwe himself, in respect of his Facebook post on alleged sale of justice by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“These calls came after the case had been filed in court, but I had promised to consult widely in order to be well guided on the most appropriate step to take in the circumstances.

“Now the real purpose of my case is to discover the veracity or otherwise of the grave allegations contained in the Facebook post of Mr Joe Igbokwe and since he has retracted same and offered an unconditional apology, what that simply means is that the allegations are not true, having now been denied by the author himself.

“This is heart-warming for me, given that I can now continue my legal practice without having to worry about the possibility of my adversary buying the judgment of court behind my back.

“This is not to say that there may be no corrupt elements within the Bench and the Bar, as they exist in all other professions, my concern is the holistic castigation of the entire institution, without exposing a particular individual, and its consequence on our national life, when it is said that one can procure judgment with money, even at the Supreme Court.

“It is significant that Mr Joe Igbokwe has himself admitted in his apology that his utterance was a “drivel”, and nothing more can be added to that again.

“In view of the foregoing, consultations are ongoing, with a view to finding a solution to the likely consequences of the Facebook post and the motivating effects of the subsequent apology.

“A final decision will be taken in the course of the coming week, upon wider consultations.

“I thank you all, for standing up on behalf of democracy, on behalf of the rule of law and on behalf of our greater nation, Nigeria.

“It is not about Mr Joe Igbokwe or indeed the erudite justices of the Supreme Court, but rather our collective destiny as a people, who deserve respect for our noble institutions and those piloting them.

“Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta!

“Dare To Struggle, Dare To Win.”

Seeking to avoid trouble, Igbokwe, Spokesman of the ruling APC in Lagos State, had written on his Facebook wall yesterday: “Please let it be known and it is hereby made known that I have withdrawn the post I did a few days ago on Facebook suggesting that The Apex Court compromised on matters concerning 2015 Rivers State Governorship elections. It was not a calculated attempt to cast aspersions, demean and disparage the entire Bar and the Bench which I hold to the highest esteem. I am too small and too insignificant to do this. It was a mistake and I take responsibility for my action. It was a personal opinion. This is to tender an unconditional and unreserved apology to all those fell offended by my post and a promise to avoid such drivel in future. To err is human!”

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