Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba, has expressed dissatisfaction over the media trial on the allegation of the Chicago State University’s certificate forgery levelled against President Bola Tinubu by the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.
Agbakoba urged the legal practitioners and media houses in the country to give room for the Supreme Court to give judgment on the matter rather than heating the polity based on sentiments while discussing the issue on media platforms.
“This madness of Chicago State University must stop now,” he was quoted to have said in a statement on Monday.
The legal luminary, however, called on the Nigerian Bar Association, to call lawyers into order and to stop breaching ethics by turning the media into a court of law where judgements are passed on matters.
The statement reads: “The cacophony of discordant voices on Tinubu/Atiku over the certificate matter is completely out of hand.
”This utter nonsense from armchair lawyers is heating Nigeria dangerously. Please can we keep our opinions and views to ourselves awaiting a decision of the Supreme Court.
“I am so ashamed to see lawyers on television arguing one way or the other on the merits or demerits of the Chicago State University matter. This is most unhelpful!
”I call out all media that tolerate this nonsense of adjudicating the CSU matter on TV and newspapers. I urge the President of the Nigerian Bar Association to call out lawyers who breach rules of ethics by turning the media into a court of law.
”Can we please stop heating our country!!! Let us allow the Supreme Court of Nigeria to make a judicial pronouncement which is binding on us all!!!! This public nonsense must stop.”
