Again, Imo Appoints Justice Ijeoma Agugua Acting Chief Judge

By Charles Igbo

The Honourable Justice Ijeoma Agugua has been appointed Acting Chief Judge of Imo State by Governor Hope Uzodimma.

This is the second time she will be appointed to hold the office. For inexplicable reasons, Agugua was removed from that position after she had held it for two  consecutive periods  – six months  apiece – and Imolites were awaiting her confirmation. Agugua was replaced by the Honourable Justice Theresa Chikeka who was confirmed as the substantive Chief Judge.

However, Chikeka, after a couple of years, was sacked from office by the National Judicial Commission, NJC, for age falsification and was asked to make some refunds.

After Chikeka’s sack, Governor Uzodimma, after five months, appointed the Honourable Theophilus Nzeukwu as the Acting Chief Judge. His appointment did not sit well with those who should know as he was the fourth ranked Judge in the State. The NJC intervened by forcefully retiring him for accepting to be sworn-in when he knew quite well that he was not qualified to be so appointed.

The Governor was asked to appoint the most senior Judge in the State to the position.

A couple of months later, the State has gone full circle and went back to Justice Agugua, who, for years, has been the most senior Judge in the State but who, for inexplicable reasons, was always by-passed.

It is in  keeping with his Constitutional mandate on the preservation of judicial integrity and probity, that Governor Uzodimma has appointed  Agugua, again,  as the Acting Chief Judge of Imo State.

Justice Agugua, an accomplished Judge, comes with an enviable record of jurisprudential experience and knowledge all of which she is expected to bring this into bear in driving the judiciary in Imo State until a new substantive Chief Judge is appointed.

Agugua’s appointment comes at a very difficult period in the Imo State Judiciary which has been riddled by controversies

Last month, June,  the National Judicial Commission (NJC)  recommended the compulsory retirement of  10 Judges in the State Judiciary for various reasons, mostly, alleged age falsification.