The Eniong Abatim community in Odukpani local government of Cross River state area has said the state government was making a mockery of the judiciary with its refusal to appoint a substantive chief judge for almost one year, and opting for three consecutive acting judges against laid down judicial precedent.
The Chairman of the community, Elder (Dr) David Okon, in a chat with our reporter, Sunday, said the development was capable of derailing democracy in the state, and therefore called on Gov Ben Ayade to swear in Justice Akon Ikpeme as a substantive chief judge without further delay.
He said, “We do not care about the legions of acting chief judges that may have been sworn-in as it is now turning out to be the order of the day, what we are asking for is that the right thing be done. There is a precedent that has been in the Judiciary, after Justice Mike Edem retired last year, the next person in the order of seniority is Justice Akon Ikpeme and she should be the substantive Chief Judge. What is happening in the state is a mockery of the Judiciary.
“Few weeks ago, we had young people on the streets asking the government to end SARS, as far as I am concerned, the so-called SARS has a lot of connotations and is not limited to policemen brutalizing the civilians and all that. You find the so-called SARS in almost all fabrics and sectors of living and it speaks of injustice and impunity. And if it is not done away with completely, the future may be bleak.”
The community leader, who explained that their daughter, Justice Akon Ikpeme, had been married to an Eniong Abatim son for almost forty years without any problem, noted further that Ikpeme had “contributed immensely to the development of our community and the entire Cross River State, with high sense of responsibility, honesty, and diligence,” adding that even security agencies in the country had found nothing incriminating against her.
“We therefore frown at the tagging of our daughter as ‘a security risk’ in the state where she was born, grew up, married and spent all her productive years to build.
“We call on Governor Ben Ayade and the State Assembly to confirm her as the Substantive Chief Judge of Cross River State, on the expiration of the current acting Chief Judge; and failure to do so will not only set a dangerous precedence in legal and political maneuvering in the state, but may also exacerbate socio-political tension in the polity. A stitch in time saves nine.
“We will continue to live in peace with others and seek the progress and development of our beloved state,” he stated.
