The National Judicial Council (NJC) has penalised three High Court judges for issuing conflicting ex-parte orders in the cases involving the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus.
The affected judges are Justice Okogbule Gbasam of the High Court of Rivers State; Justice Nusirat I. Umar of the High Court of Kebbi State, and Justice Edem Ita Kooffreh of the High Court of Cross River State.
A statement by the Director of Information, Soji Oye said NJC, at a meeting chaired by Justice Mary Odili, barred the affected judges from promotion between the next two to five years, issued them with warning letters and placed them on its watch list.
Part of the statement reads: “The meeting which was chaired by the Deputy Chairman of Council, Hon. Justice Mary Peter-Odili, CFR agreed with the recommendations of the Investigation Committee set up in September 2021 that Hon. Justice Okogbule Gbasam of the High Court of Rivers State be barred from elevation to higher Bench for two years whenever he is due, as he failed to exercise due diligence in granting the ex-parte order in suit No: PHC/2183/CS/2021 between Ibealwuchi Earnest Alex & 4 others and Prince Uche Secondus & another, as there was no real urgency, in the circumstances of the matter, that would have required an ex-parte order.
