The leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Rivers State has called on Chief Tony Okocha, the former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, to issue an immediate apology to Justices Sika Aprioku, C. N. Wali and G. O. Ollor of the Rivers State High Court following his alleged derogatory remarks about the judges.

In a statement made available to CITY LAWYER, the chairpersons of the eight NBA branches in the state accused Okocha of denigrating the Rivers State Judiciary by referring to it as a “supermarket” after he was dismissed by a judgment of Justice Aprioku in a suit filed by an APC chieftain.

The statement, jointly signed by NBA Port Harcourt Branch Chair, Cordelia Eke; NBA Isiokpo Branch Chair, Cashmia Ofurum, and six others, emphasized that judges are apolitical and adhere to a strict code of conduct that limits unnecessary public interactions.

The NBA criticized Okocha for using offensive language that undermines the judiciary and the legal profession, saying that he should instead have “pursued an appeal.”

The statement also urged “litigants and the public to avoid harassing judges and to focus their efforts on legitimate legal channels.”