These actions amount to a calculated judicial ambush against the will of the Benue electorate
By Our Reporter,
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) have raised serious allegations against the Chief Judge of Benue State, Hon. Justice Maurice Ikpambese, accusing him of undue interference in the state’s Local Government Election Petition Appeals Tribunal.
In a joint statement signed by Comrade James Ezema, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, and Alhaji Ali Abacha, National Secretary of CNCSOs, the groups claimed that Justice Ikpambese orchestrated the removal of Justice Maimuna Ikwulono from the Appeals Tribunal due to her insistence on judicial independence. Her replacement with Justice Mohammed, they said, casts doubt on the credibility and neutrality of the tribunal’s work.
The statement alleges that the Chief Judge’s actions are politically motivated and linked to a wider power struggle between Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Dr. George Akume. The groups claim that Justice Ikpambese, who is due for retirement next year, has been promised the Senatorial ticket for Benue North-East (Zone A) in return for manipulating tribunal outcomes in favor of Akume’s political allies.
According to the CNPP and CNCSOs, four out of seven local government chairmen in Zone A have already been removed by the tribunal, while no such removals have occurred in Zone B — a development they describe as politically selective and concerning.
The groups also cited video evidence purportedly showing Justice Ikpambese at a political event where he allegedly boasted, in Tiv language, of plans to undermine Governor Alia’s political standing through judicial manipulation.
More controversially, they alleged that the Chief Judge hurriedly formed a new tribunal panel in the final month of the tribunal’s sitting. This panel, they claim, issued questionable rulings that resulted in the removal of duly elected local government chairmen and their replacement with individuals who did not even contest in the elections.
“These actions amount to a calculated judicial ambush against the will of the Benue electorate,” the statement read, warning that such interference threatens democracy and undermines judicial independence.
The CNPP and CNCSOs also condemned what they described as the illegal removal of Justice Ikwulono based on an uninvestigated petition. They argued that only the National Judicial Council (NJC) has the constitutional authority to discipline judicial officers and that the Chief Judge had overstepped his bounds.
They commended the Chief Justice of Nigeria and NJC Chairperson for efforts to uphold judicial integrity and urged urgent intervention in the Benue case.
“If the Chief Judge does not immediately discontinue his self-confessed plans to use the Local Government Tribunal to frustrate the Governor and the electorate of Benue State, we will have no choice but to mobilize mass protests to occupy the NJC headquarters until he is removed from office,” the groups warned.
They concluded with a strong call for the protection of Nigeria’s judicial institutions: “The integrity of our judiciary must never be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. We demand immediate corrective actions to protect democratic institutions and uphold the sanctity of justice in Benue State.”
The unfolding events in Benue are expected to draw significant national attention as stakeholders await the NJC’s response.