The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has risen in strong defence of renowned human rights and pro-democracy lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), amid verbal attacks from the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, CSNAC described the recent attack against Falana as “baseless, petty, and politically naive,” stating that the Senior Advocate’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy and legal development stand far above the reach of latter-day political thugs and charlatans pervading the country’s political offices.
The statement comes on the heels of a public spat between Mr. Falana and Mr. Wike’s aide, Lere Olayinka, who questioned Falana’s legal credentials and the legitimacy of his SAN title. Olayinka had accused the lawyer of misleading the public on the Supreme Court ruling concerning the Rivers State House of Assembly leadership crisis.
But CSNAC dismissed the attack as a clear attempt to silence critical voices, adding that Falana’s elevation to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria was not through political patronage but earned through decades of rigorous legal practice, pro bono service, and human rights advocacy, right from when some of these characters were in their infancy.”
“Unlike some individuals who have never argued a single case in court yet boast of legal titles, Falana’s legacy is documented in Nigeria’s most significant legal battles and democratic struggles with landmark cases won against late General Sani Abacha several courts across the country and the ECOWAS court. Mr. Falana was recognised with the most outstanding human rights lawyer by global forum of lawyers, International Bar Association (IBA) in 2008 for his decades of remarkable Public Interest Litigation and legal advocacy,” Suraju stated.
According to the network, those cases exemplify Femi Falana’s legal acumen and tireless works toward securing human rights, press freedom, democratic rights, and accountability in Nigeria. His victories in these cases significantly contributed to the legal and political landscape of the country.
The coalition further lambasted what it described as a disturbing trend of political figures attempting to discredit voices of dissent through media attacks and character assassination.
“Mr. Falana has consistently defended the rights of the downtrodden, students, workers, journalists, and civil society groups long before it became popular. His courtroom activism and principled legal interpretations have shaped Nigeria’s constitutional and democratic landscape,” CSNAC added.
Suraju also questioned the moral standing of Mr. Wike and his associates to attack Falana, stating, it is ironic that those who have done little for democracy or the legal profession except building court rooms for judges and allocating illegally occupied landed properties to justices, to ingratiate the judiciary, now want to dictate who deserves respect or entitle to review of court judgments within the legal community.
The network called on Nigerians to see through the distraction and urged public officials to channel their energies toward governance rather than witch-hunting credible voices. “Falana’s voice may be inconvenient for the powerful, but it remains popular and essential for the survival of our democracy,” the statement concluded.
