Uwani Abba-Aji, retiring Justice of the Supreme Court revealed on Friday that members of the court bench were subjected to a United States (US) visa ban following a contentious judicial ruling.
Speaking during a valedictory session to mark her retirement upon reaching the mandatory age of 70, Justice Abba-Aji explained that the travel restrictions stemmed from a widely misinterpreted judgment.
Addressing the audience, Justice Abba-Aji said, “My time on the Supreme Court bench was filled with challenges, some of which have served as additional opportunities to stand firm on the side of justice, regardless of the consequences.”
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“One of such challenging judgments was widely misinterpreted and led to a travel ban to the United States of America being imposed on all members of the panel, a ban which still holds today,” she added.
Although the jurist did not name the specific suit, the decision is understood to be connected to the landmark January 14, 2020 judgment on the 2019 Imo State governorship election.
A seven-member panel, which included Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, chief justice of Nigeria, and Justice Abba-Aji, nullified the election of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Emeka Ihedioha and declared All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Hope Uzodimma the lawful winner.
The panel vacated the concurrent decisions of the Court of Appeal and the election tribunal by factoring in 213,295 votes from 388 polling units tendered by a police witness but disowned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). A subsequent application for review filed by Ihedioha was dismissed, despite a notable dissenting judgment by the late Justice Centus Nweze, who cautioned,.“This decision of the Supreme Court will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come.”
Reflecting on the personal impact of the US sanction, Justice Abba-Aji noted that “such inconveniences were a small price to pay to preserve the chastity of justice.”
In her remarks at the event, Kekere-Ekun, commended the retiring jurist’s career, which began in the Borno State judiciary in 1973 before her elevation to the Court of Appeal in 2004 and the Supreme Court in 2019.
Highlighting her role as a trailblazer for female legal practitioners and her leadership as President of the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria (NAWJN), Kekere-Ekun stated, “For many of us, particularly the women who have entered the Nigerian Judiciary in more recent years, Hon. Justice Abba-Aji’s career is part of the story of how the place of women in our Judiciary has evolved.”
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“Long before the presence of women on the Bench became as familiar as it is today, she was already serving, quietly establishing a record of competence and service,” the CJN noted, adding that “her leadership roles in the Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria and, particularly, her service as President of the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria (NAWJN), demonstrate that her interest in the progress of women was not merely incidental to her career. She contributed to creating a space in which other women could find their voices and assume positions of leadership.”
Ngozi Ekugo holds an MSc in Management from the University of Hertfordshire. She is also an alumna of University of Lagos, Queen’s College, and an Associate Member of CIPM. Her experience includes a brief exposure in the Human Capital Management division of Goldman Sachs in London. She draws on her cross-sector experience to cover employment trends, career opportunities and international mobility.
