Our Reporter, Abuja
Renowned human rights activist and legal scholar Prof. Chidi Odinkalu has publicly lambasted Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma for what he describes as a deliberate sabotage of the state’s judiciary, accusing the governor of withholding the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge and plunging the legal system into unprecedented disarray.
In a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Odinkalu highlighted the dire fallout from Uzodimma’s apparent inaction, noting that the absence of a confirmed Chief Judge has resulted in no vacation courts operating throughout the state’s annual judicial recess.
“Because of what is evidently the refusal @Hope_Uzodimma1 to appoint a Chief Judge for Imo State, there’s bn no vacation court in the state this entire vacation season,” Odinkalu wrote.
He also underscored the “unimaginable” consequences for litigants and the growing financial desperation among members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Imo State, who now “confront destitution.”
The crisis traces back to a protracted rift between Uzodimma’s administration and the National Judicial Council (NJC), Nigeria’s apex judicial oversight body. The controversy ignited earlier this year following the compulsory retirement of former Chief Judge Justice Theresa Chikeka in April 2025, amid allegations of age falsification that had dogged her tenure since 2024.
In response, Governor Uzodimma swiftly swore in Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu, the fourth most senior judge on the High Court bench, as Acting Chief Judge on April 4, describing the move as essential to restoring “credibility and accountability” to the judiciary.
However, the NJC immediately disavowed the appointment, stating it had not granted approval and that Uzodimma lacked the discretionary power to bypass the three most senior judges in the hierarchy. At its 108th meeting held on the 29th and 30th April 2025, the NJC reversed Nzeukwu’s installation, issuing queries to both him and Justice V.U. Okorie, the acting chairman of the Imo State Judicial Service Commission, for their roles in the process. The council directed Uzodimma to appoint the most senior judge as Acting Chief Judge in line with constitutional provisions, but five months down the line, Governor Uzodimma is yet to comply.
This standoff has exacerbated an already tense atmosphere in Imo State’s courts. Former Attorney General of Imo State, Chief Soronnadi Njoku (SAN), lamented in a recent interview that the impasse has stalled legal proceedings, eroded access to justice, and left lawyers in financial peril, with many unable to handle urgent vacation matters like bail applications or interlocutory injunctions.
“Our problems started as far back as June… nobody was sure anymore,” Njoku said, referencing the ripple effects of the NJC’s earlier recommendation to retire nine judges compulsorily.
“This is the first year in all my 41 years at the bar that we don’t have vacation judges in place in Imo State, meaning that if there’s an emergency, even if it’s a life or death matter in Imo State, there’s no judge that can give you any respite.
“I’m aware that some people who need to sign their assets declaration forms, which must be signed by a judge, have not been able to do so because there is no judge on seat.
“This is the first time in my 41 years at the bar that we are seeing this. And then processes of court are being filed every day.”
Odinkalu’s critique portrays the governor’s reluctance to appoint a Chief Judge as a direct assault on judicial independence, with all its consequences on personal freedoms and liberty.
