….AS PRINCE BOB NJEMANZE CALLS FOR INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY
The appointment of a substantive Chief Judge for Imo State appears to take another dimension seen as capable of destroying the due process for such a sensitive and prestigious appointment in Imo Judiciary.
The rumour trending in parts of the state has it that the ground seems to be set for the dangling of monetary inducements with the negative intentions to truncate the due process regarding the substantive appointment of Imo Chief Judge.
An elderly statesman, Prince Bob Njemanze has therefore stressed the importance of protecting the Judicial institutional integrity and advised the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the judiciary to avoid their image being dragged to the mud over such rumoured plans.
The rumour that something is fishy is brewing in Imo Judiciary which some members of the public are requiring the attention of the lawyers.
Revelations emerged that some branch chairmen of the NBA are being mobilised by some state actors with monetary inducements of about N350M being dressed up as support to make such happen which has been allegedly streamlined as N100M for the leader- branch and N50M for the five branches all for the purposes of edging out the most senior Judge to appoint her junior as the state chief Judge.
The rumoured scheme has been said to be mapped out to achieve the signing of a letter to the National Judicial Council NJC supposedly on behalf of the lawyers across the state and to urge the council to hasten the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge and bring an end to the acting regime.
Such a letter following the rumour is said to risk the idea of creating false impression that it is the National Judicial Council that is responsible for the undue delay rather than the Judicial Service Commission whose process is allegedly skewed to exclude the most senior judge and secondly,that the acting regime is itself undesirable and seemingly contrary to the NJC’s position.
It was further revealed that the NBA Owerri has no hand in such inglorious schemes to which Prince Bob Njemanze advised that the lawyers should absolve from such to protect their integrity and dignity.
Prince Njemanze said that the NBA and the Judiciary in Imo should desist from submitting to such undignified arrangement if the rumour is anything to go by, as it is far from right.
‘If the rumours are true,who is funding bribery?’the Owerri-born Prince asked.
He therefore called for investigations into the matter saying that it should be addressed expeditiously and who ever is culpable should be brought to book.
He expressed surprise that while the most senior and most qualified judge is on the bench in acting capacity as the Chief Judge of the state, instead of allowing the due process flow for her substantive appointment, a certain mafia would take delight in turning the system into a mess to remove her unduly and acting as if they have no fear for God and without conscience.
