A retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, has disclosed that some members of the apex court were placed under a United States visa ban following a controversial judgment.
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Abba-Aji made the disclosure on Friday during a valedictory session held to mark her retirement from the bench.
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She said the travel restrictions followed a Supreme Court judgment that was widely misinterpreted, adding that the ban imposed on members of the panel remained in force.
The retiring jurist, however, did not identify the specific case that led to the US action.
According to reports, the visa restrictions were connected to the legal dispute surrounding the 2019 Imo State governorship election, which resulted in the removal of former Governor Emeka Ihedioha and the declaration of Hope Uzodimma as the winner.
On January 14, 2020, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court nullified Ihedioha’s election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw his Certificate of Return and issue a fresh one to Uzodimma.
The panel, which included Abba-Aji and the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, overturned earlier decisions by the Court of Appeal and the Imo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, both of which had affirmed Ihedioha’s victory.
In arriving at its decision, the Supreme Court added results from 388 polling units, amounting to 213,295 votes, which were tendered before the tribunal by a police officer who testified as PW-54 but had been disowned by INEC.
After calculating the votes in court, the panel declared Uzodimma the candidate with the majority of lawful votes cast in the election.
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The ruling generated widespread controversy and protests, with Ihedioha subsequently asking the Supreme Court to review its decision. However, the application was dismissed.
Justice Centus Nweze was the only member of the panel who delivered a dissenting judgment, ordering Ihedioha’s reinstatement. He described the decision that removed the former governor as a nullity and warned that it would have lasting consequences for Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.
At Friday’s valedictory session, Abba-Aji described the visa restriction as one of the challenges she encountered during her service on the bench.
She maintained that such inconveniences were a small price to pay for upholding the integrity of justice.
In her address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kekere-Ekun, praised the retiring jurist for her contributions to the judiciary and her years of service.
Kekere-Ekun recalled that Abba-Aji joined the judicial service in Borno State in 1973 and served in various administrative positions, including Clerical Assistant, Assistant Registrar, Acting Registrar and Higher Registrar.
She was elevated to the Court of Appeal on September 22, 2004, serving in different divisions across the country, including Benin, Abuja, Ekiti, Owerri and Kaduna, before her appointment to the Supreme Court on January 8, 2019.
The CJN also commended Abba-Aji’s contributions to the advancement of women in the judiciary, particularly through her leadership roles in the Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria and as president of the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria.
Abba-Aji is retiring from the Supreme Court having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70.
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