Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, appears to have bowed to reason and will tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019, swear in Justice Akon Ikpeme as the acting Chief Judge of the state, www.calitown.com can reveal.
The ceremony which will take place at the State Executive Council Chambers, Governor’s Office, Calabar, a statement signed by Christian Ita, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, said, will begin at 9:00 am.
Recall that in the days leading up to the retirement from service of the the immediate past Chief Judge of the state, Michael Edem, desperate moves were made to sidetrack Ikpeme and appoint a junior judge as CJ https://www.calitown.com/crsg-skips-senior-jugde-recommends-junior-judge-as-cj/
Several legal practitioners in the state as well as the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, vehemently opposed the governor and voiced their respective opinions on the matter. Their vehement opinions against embracing an abnormal order of progression and ascension to the position of CJ is believed to have led to the governor backing down. At a point, the ethnic card was played against Akon, with fifth columnists and those opposing her flying the kite that she is not from CRS, even though she has remained married to a Cross Riverian for more than 35 years and has spent all her working years with the CRS Judiciary and rising through the ranks.
