From Godwin Tsa and. Scholastica Hir Makurdi
the National Judicial Council (NJC) has faulted the purported removal of the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, by the State House of Assembly describing it as unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.
The Council drew the attention of the state lawmakers to the clear and unambiguous constitutional provisions guiding discipline and appointment of judicial officers in the country.
In a statement, yesterday in Abuja, the NJC maintained that Justice Maurice Ikpambese remains the Chief Judge until complaint against her are investigated and legal steps taken on the complaint.
The statement signed by NJC Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Ogedengbe, read in part: “The attention of the National Judicial Council has been drawn to a certain media report to the effect that the Benue State House of Assembly has purportedly passed a resolution recommending the removal of the State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Maurice Ikpambese from office.
“Unfortunate as this development is, Council wishes to reiterate that there are clear and unambiguous provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 on discipline and appointment of Judicial Officers vested in the Council, which clearly are not adhered to in the instant case.
The NJC admitted receiving a petition, yesterday, against the Chief Judge but said that the allegations have not been investigated in line with its investigating procedures and principles of fair hearing.
NJC maintained that until the complaint is investigated and the Chief Judge found wanting, she remains in office as the Chief Judge.
Attempt my member of the Assembly to remove the CJ had not only generated tension and controversies in the state but have also been met with strong resistance.
The lawmakers, on Tuesday, approved the immediate removal of the chief judge over allegations of gross misappropriation of funds after 23 out of 31 members voted for his removal. The decision followed a letter sent to the House by Governor Hyacinth Alia, which was read on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader, Saater Tiseer, in which the governor alleged that the chief judge misappropriated and mismanaged the budgetary allocation and finances of the Benue State Judiciary.
The chief judge was also accused of abuse of office by issuing a directive to overturn the Benue State Electoral Law duly passed by the state House of Assembly and assented to by the governor of the state.
The governor’s letter also accused Ikpambese of engaging with politicians and political office holders for favourable judicial outcomes, indirect participation and incitement of industrial actions against the state executive, acts of bribery and corruption as well as undue favouritism and dire insistence on cronies holding unmerited judicial positions.
The letter read: “Mr. Speaker, since his emergence as the chief judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese spends way beyond the budgetary allocation of the judiciary. Similarly, he has not, by the string of any imagination, rendered account of expenditures from the state judiciary.
“There is a huge discrepancy in the financial figures under his watch from our findings. We shall consider this ground on financial infractions from the Benue State High Court, the Customary Court of Appeal and the Benue State Judicial Service Commission.
“Available records secured from remittances from the Accountant- General to High Court from January to December, 2024 and bank statements from High Court covering Zenith Bank, First Bank, Fidelity Bank and Unity Bank indicate convincingly that Justice Ikpambese over-spent the 2024 budget on International travels, training and renovation of office buildings to the tune of N666,984,687.20 which contravened sections 0206, 0632 and 0635 of the Financial Instructions (FI).”
The governor had prayed the house to forthwith, make the necessary recommendations for the removal of Justice Ikpambese as the chief judge of Benue State in line with Section 292(1)(a)(II) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), while directing the forwarding of a complaint to the National Judicial Council so as to carry out an honest, independent, hitch-free, transparent and diligent investigation into these allegations, especially as they relate to the abuse of his office as judicial officer demonstrated by his confrontational disregard for the laws enacted by the state legislature and the financial infractions against him pending the recommendation of the National Judicial Council as provided in Section 292(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended).
He also urged the house to recommend for immediate swearing in of the next-in-line judicial officer within the state as the acting chief judge of Benue State.