As the battle for the sanitation of the Abia State Judiciary continues, two of its former Magistrates have dragged the Abia State Judicial Service Commission, the former Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Arisa kalu Ogwe and National Judicial Council over the on-going judgeship appointment exercise to court.

In suit no. FHC/ABJ /CS/1900/2022: Nworisara Ekeleme Ibe & Anor v Abia State Judicial Service Commission & ors bringing the total number of pending suits on the subject to 4(four). The Plaintiffs are challenging the entire process for non-compliance with the strict provisions 2014 REVISED NJC GUIDELINES& PROCEDURAL RULES FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF JUDICIAL OFFICERS OF ALL SUPERIOR COURTS and as well as the selection of incompetent and corrupt persons & high manipulation of the process by the former Chief Judge as the then Chairman of the commission to ensure the appointment of these persons as Judges of Abia State.

In the court process made available to BarristerNG, the plaintiffs also filed a 100 page affidavit in opposition to an application for joinder by these persons on the grounds that they have not been appointed judges yet or conferred with any right or vested interested by the NJC to be a party in the suit and questioned the toxic desperation of these persons to be judges at all cost.

The plaintiffs have also asked the court to dismiss the application and disqualify their counsel O.O. NKUME Esq whose wife is also one of the candidates to be appointed judge and who was a member of the Abia State Judicial Service commission together with the Chief Judge, Justice Arisa Ogwe as chairman when the appointment exercise and selection of these persons was initiated in 2021.

A copy of the counter-affidavit and argument in support of plaintiffs suit is attached below.

NWORISARA EKELEME IBE

NWORISARA EKELEME IBE 2