Justice Theresa Uzokwe has been appointed the Chief Judge of Abia State. She will be in acting capacity for the next three months. Justice Uzokwe is replacing the retired CJ Nnenna Oti.
The short period that the former Chief Judge served was filled with rancour and malice among the three arms of government.
Although it is not clear what might have ignited the misunderstanding, it was very evident that the legislature had a running battle with the CJ who at one time even shunned the invitation of the House of Assembly.
This did not go down well with the members of the House who in a resolution called for the immediate removal of the first female Chief Judge of the state.
But for the intervention of the governor of the state, Theodore Orji, she was able to remain in service until her retirement. There are insinuations that her issue with the House is not unconnected with one of her jail deliveries where she allegedly freed a notorious armed robber whose case was still pending in the court who upon release killed a relative of his adversary.
The governor during the swearing in ceremony admonished the Acting Chief Judge to tow the path of peace and avoid any thing that will bring her at logger heads with the other arms of the government.
Governor Orji said that nature abhors vacuum, as the 1999 constitution stipulates that in the event of vacancy, the most senior judge should act as chief judge for a period of 3 months while the Governor, the state house of Assembly, the judicial service commission and the National Judicial Council (NJC) are vested with the power of appointing an acting or substantive Chief judge in the interim.
In her response, the new Ag chief judge, thanked the Governor for the honour done her through the appointment and for having a good working relationship with the judiciary
She promised to carry judges and the staff of the judiciary along and live up to expectation.
