Fresh controversy has emerged over the Imo State Government’s ₦350 million financial support to the six branches of the Nigerian Bar Association in the state, following the emergence of a letter addressed to the National Judicial Council on the prolonged absence of a substantive Chief Judge and renewed questions over the timing of the payment to NBA Mbaise Branch.
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The controversy centres on allegations by Imo-based lawyer and former Secretary of the NBA Owerri Branch, Chinedu Agu, that the financial intervention may have coincided with efforts to secure the support of the six branch chairmen for a joint letter urging the NJC to expedite the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge of Imo State.
Agu had earlier alleged that the proposed communication could create the impression that the NJC was responsible for the delay in appointing a substantive Chief Judge rather than the Imo State Judicial Service Commission, and could also portray the continuation of the acting Chief Judge arrangement as undesirable. He further alleged that the Chairman of NBA Mbaise Branch declined to endorse the initiative and subsequently raised questions over why the branch’s share of the government support was not received at the same time as those of other branches.
A copy of the letter now seen by TheNigeriaLawyer shows that it was dated August 14, 2026, and addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice M. O. Kekere-Ekun, GCON.
Titled “The Appointment Of A Substantive Chief Judge Of Imo State An Urgent Appeal For Judicial Stability And Institutional Continuity,” the letter was presented in the name of the NBA branches in Owerri, Orlu, Mbaise, Okigwe, Oru-Oguta and Mbano-Etiti.
The letter stated that Imo State had been without a substantive Chief Judge since November 2024 and urged the NJC to give “expeditious and favourable consideration” to the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge.
While acknowledging the constitutional arrangements that had kept the judiciary functioning, the letter argued that the continued acting arrangement could not adequately substitute for substantive leadership.
“Imo State has, regrettably, operated without a substantive Chief Judge since November 2024,” the letter stated, adding that “the prolonged continuation of an acting arrangement cannot, in our respectful view, be regarded as an adequate substitute for the stability, permanence and institutional authority that attend the office of a substantive Chief Judge.”
The letter went further to argue that the office of Chief Judge was central to judicial administration, allocation of judicial work, institutional discipline, deployment of judicial resources and coordination of the courts.
It maintained that the continued absence of a substantive occupant raised concerns about institutional continuity and long-term judicial stability.
According to the letter, an acting arrangement, “however competently administered,” remained transitional by its very nature.
“Where such an arrangement becomes protracted, the distinction between temporary stewardship and substantive institutional leadership becomes increasingly significant,” the branches stated.
They added that the prevailing situation had “endured for considerably longer than should ordinarily be contemplated” and urged the NJC to take all necessary steps within its constitutional powers towards the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge.
The final page of the document contains signature spaces bearing the names of the chairmen of the six branches, including Chief J. N. Nwawudu, Esq., Chairman, NBA Mbaise Branch. However, the copy supplied does not, on its own, conclusively establish which of the six chairmen personally appended signatures to the document.
That distinction has now become important because Agu alleges that the Mbaise Branch Chairman declined to sign the letter.
The allegation has also become intertwined with the controversy surrounding the ₦350 million released by the Imo State Government to the six NBA branches for the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference.
The reported distribution was ₦100 million to NBA Owerri Branch and ₦50 million each to the remaining five branches. The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice was reported to have announced the support at a dinner for lawyers in the state.
Agu has questioned whether there was any connection between the NJC letter and the financial support, particularly in relation to NBA Mbaise Branch.
He had earlier asked why the Mbaise Branch was reportedly yet to receive its ₦50 million allocation while other branches had received theirs, questioning whether the delay had anything to do with its Chairman’s alleged refusal to support the letter.
NBA Mbaise Branch has since confirmed that it eventually received ₦50 million on September 1, 2026, but rejected the suggestion that it had been excluded from the government’s disbursement.
In a statement issued by its Secretary, Mrs S. C. Nwachi, Esq., the Branch said it submitted its bank account details on August 26 at the dinner hosted by the Attorney-General and that the money was credited six days later, on September 1.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Branch confirms that it received the sum of ₦50 million from the Imo State Government towards the just-concluded Annual General Conference,” the Branch stated.
That response has, however, left Agu pressing a different question: why did Mbaise receive its payment on September 1 while the other branches allegedly received theirs earlier?
Agu maintains that the sequence of events deserves an explanation and alleges that the payment came only after he publicly raised questions over the issue.
There is, however, no material in the August 14 letter itself establishing that the Imo State Government or Attorney-General authored, directed or financed the communication, nor does the document establish that payment of the ₦50 million was conditional upon a branch chairman signing it. Those remain allegations requiring a response or further evidence.
The controversy is further complicated by the NJC’s own previous public statements on the appointment process.
In January 2026, the NJC, while extending the appointment of Justice Ijeoma O. Agugua as Acting Chief Judge, called on the Governor of Imo State to immediately commence the process of constituting the State Judicial Service Commission to enable the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge.
In May, the Council again extended Justice Agugua’s acting appointment and specifically called on the Imo State Judicial Service Commission to expedite the process for the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge.
Justice Agugua’s acting tenure was subsequently extended for another three months from June 26 to September 26, 2026, pending completion of the appointment process.
The NJC’s earlier statements therefore provide an important backdrop to Agu’s contention that responsibility for completing the appointment process cannot simply be presented as resting with the Council.
For now, three separate facts are established: the August 14 letter urging the NJC to act exists; the Imo State Government subsequently provided ₦350 million in support to the six NBA branches; and NBA Mbaise Branch has confirmed that its ₦50 million was received on September 1 after its account details were submitted on August 26.
What remains disputed is whether the financial intervention and the NJC letter were connected, whether the Mbaise Chairman actually refused to endorse the letter, and whether the timing of Mbaise’s payment had anything to do with his alleged position.
Those unresolved questions are likely to keep scrutiny on the relationship between the Imo State Government, the six NBA branches and the ongoing process for the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge.
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