By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Details are emerging how Honorable Justice Akon Ikpeme, has walked the tight rope to her exalted office as the Chief Judge of Cross River state, 427 days since the retirement of Justice Michael Edem in November 2019.
CrossRiverWatch gathered that there was intense horse trading to try to reassure the governor that the emergence of Akon Ikpeme as State Chief Judge wasn’t going to be a threat to his political interest.
Some prominent Efik sons were said to have accompanied Justice Ikpeme, to two separate meetings with the Governor to resolve “all issues.”
Our source who was in the meeting said, “H.E. confronted her that the security information he had was that she was working with Mba Ukweni SAN, to nullify all PDP primaries in the last local government elections so that PDP will not have a candidate.”
Justice Ikpeme was said to have denied the allegation and “pledged to be loyal.”
In a meeting with the House of Assembly to ask them to confirm the CJ, our source said the members were initially stubborn, “But H.E. insisted that he is the one who asked them not to confirm initially, now he wants them to confirm, they should go and do it and stop asking questions.”
Our source added that “money was then given to them for the purpose;” but this allegation hasn’t been independently verified by CrossRiverWatch.
Justice Ikpeme also held a meeting with the House of Assembly yesterday (Wednesday) to solicit their support during today’s confirmation sitting. Details of their discussion is still unknown.
And earlier today, She was confirmed by the House of Assembly which is a U-turn from their position 322 days ago in March 2020.
The National Judicial Council is said to have insisted on her, following the elapse of the tenure of Justice Effiom Eyo-Ita as acting Chief Judge on January 19, 2021.
She had acted from December 2019 until March 2, 2020 with Governor Ayade swearing in Justice Eneji in acting capacity twice for acting tenures of three months each.
The State then went 46 days without a head of the Judiciary until Justice Eyo-Ita was sworn-in, in October 2020 following the nod of the NJC.