A retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Uwani Abba-Aji, has revealed that members of the panel that delivered the controversial judgment which installed Hope Uzodimma as Imo State governor were placed under a United States visa ban.
Abba-Aji made the disclosure on Friday during a valedictory session held in her honour as she prepares to leave the Supreme Court, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70.
She said the restriction followed a judgment that attracted widespread criticism and was misunderstood by the public. According to her, the ban remains in force against the justices who sat on the panel.
Although she did not identify the case, the development was linked to the Supreme Court’s January 14, 2020 ruling on the Imo State governorship election dispute.
In that judgment, a seven-member panel set aside earlier decisions by the Court of Appeal and the Imo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which had upheld the election of Peoples Democratic Party candidate Emeka Ihedioha.
The Supreme Court instead declared Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress the winner and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw Ihedioha’s Certificate of Return and issue a new one to Uzodimma.
The decision followed the inclusion of results from 388 polling units, representing 213,295 votes, which were presented before the election tribunal by a police witness. INEC had reportedly disowned the results.
The ruling generated widespread controversy, particularly because Uzodimma had initially been placed fourth in the election results.
Ihedioha later sought a review of the Supreme Court decision, arguing that it had resulted in a miscarriage of justice, but the application was dismissed.
Justice Centus Nweze was the only member of the panel to dissent. He called for Ihedioha’s reinstatement and warned that the decision would have lasting consequences for Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.
At Friday’s valedictory session, Abba-Aji described the visa restriction as one of the difficulties she encountered during her judicial career, adding that the personal inconvenience was a price she was willing to pay in the course of serving justice.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, praised the retiring justice for her decades of service to the judiciary and her contributions to the advancement of women in the legal profession.
Kekere-Ekun recalled that Abba-Aji joined the judicial service in Borno State in 1973 and held several administrative positions before being elevated to the Court of Appeal in September 2004.
She was appointed to the Supreme Court on January 8, 2019, after serving in different judicial divisions across the country.
The CJN also highlighted Abba-Aji’s leadership roles in women’s organisations, particularly her tenure as president of the National Association of Women Judges of Nigeria.
