A lawyer and politician, Okonkwo, on Wednesday, the 25th of March, 2026, called on the judiciary to strictly enforce its ethical standards and discipline members who violate them, warning that failure to act could weaken the profession.
He made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television.
Okonkwo stressed the need for continuous training for judges, saying they must stay updated with evolving legal knowledge.
“Again, there’s a need for punishment. If you do not deter any evil practice, it must repeat itself. If an abomination is allowed to last up to a year, it becomes a culture.
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“We are moving into a situation where it is becoming cultural for the members of the bench to associate freely, attend parties, freely, to be so associated with the members of the world that it will be difficult for their independence and impartiality to be maintained.
“Every profession has its own peculiarities and its own ethics. The members of the bench must have to observe their own ethics, and they have to be able to punish every anti social behavior amongst them in order to deter others,” Okonkwo said.