From Henry Uche
The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has staunchly defended human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) against verbal attacks from the camp of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
In a statement, CSNAC Chairman Olanrewaju Suraju called the attacks “baseless, petty, and politically naive”, asserting that Falana’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy and legal development far surpass the tactics of “latter-day political thugs and charlatans” in public office.
The controversy stems from a public dispute between Falana and Wike’s aide, Lere Olayinka, who questioned Falana’s Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title and accused him of misrepresenting the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Rivers State House of Assembly leadership crisis. CSNAC dismissed these claims as attempts to silence dissent, noting that Falana earned his SAN rank through decades of rigorous legal practice, pro bono service, and human rights advocacy.
Suraju stated, “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 [in] several courts across the country and the ECOWAS court.”
He highlighted Falana’s 2008 recognition as the most outstanding human rights lawyer by the International Bar Association (IBA) for his public interest litigation.
CSNAC condemned the trend of political figures discrediting dissenters 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,” Suraju added.
He questioned Wike’s moral standing, stating, “It is ironic that those who have done little for democracy or the legal profession except build court rooms for judges and allocate illegally occupied landed properties to justices, to ingratiate the judiciary, now want to dictate who deserves respect or [is] entitle[d] to a review of court judgements within the legal community.”
The network urged Nigerians to reject these distractions and called on public officials to focus on governance rather than targeting credible voices.
“Falana’s voice may be inconvenient for the powerful, but it remains popular and essential for the survival of our democracy,” CSNAC concluded.