The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has condemned the swearing in by Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State, Tuesday of Justice Maurice Eneji as the acting Chief Judge of the state.
This follows the non-confirmation last Tuesday of Justice Akon Ikpeme as the substantive Chief Judge of the state by the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRSHA. NBA President, Paul Usoro, in a statement, said: “It has just been announced that Governor Ben Ayade, the Governor of Cross River State has sworn in Justice Maurice Eneji as the acting Chief Judge of Cross River State to take over from Justice Akon Ikpeme whose tenure as the Acting Chief Judge expired yesterday. This absurdity and naked injustice and prejudice must not be allowed to stand.
The NBA says it opposed the appointment of Eneji as the Acting Chief Judge of the State and even more opposed to the unsavory political intrigues within the executive and legislative arms of the Cross River State that has so far resulted in the unconstitutional failure of both arms to confirm and swear in Ikpeme as the substantive Chief Judge of the state.
“Justice Akon Ikpeme is the most senior judge of the CRS Judiciary and next to His Lordship is Justice Maurice Eneji. The names of their lordships were both recommended to the National Judicial Council, NJC, for appointment as the Chief Judge of the state, with Ikpeme as the preferred candidate and Eneji as the reserve candidate based, amongst others, on seniority.
“The NJC, in December 2019, interviewed both candidates, found them respectively suitable for the position but recommended Ikpeme for appointment as the Chief Judge, being the most senior judge and not having any negative report howsoever. It was after the NJC’s recommendation that the political undercurrents and intrigues became full-blown and culminated in today’s purported swearing-in of Eneji as the state’s Acting Chief Judge.
“To be sure, those intrigues had simmered even before the NJC recommendation and it all centred around Ikpeme state of birth, Akwa Ibom State, as distinct from her state of origin, which is Cross River State, based on her marriage to a Cross Riverian. Following those simmering and clandestine political machinations, Ikpeme was not confirmed nor appointed as the chief judge of the state several months after the NJC recommendation”.