A former Attorney General of Imo State, Chief Soronnadi Njoku (SAN), has expressed concern over the lingering disagreement between the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, and the National Judicial Council, saying that the situation was affecting legal practice in the state.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/idrinstitute.png")
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Basil-Momodu-Esq1.png")
Speaking during a media interaction with newsmen in Owerri at the weekend, the three-time commissioner and former lawmaker at the Imo State House of Assembly said the unfortunate development was rubbing off on legal practitioners in the state, adding that a virus had encroached into the system.
He lamented that there had been a lull in legal activities in the state since June 2025, when the NJC directed the immediate retirement of nine judges due to age falsification.
He said, “I would like to say that this is the worst time to be a legal practitioner in Imo State. Things are not normal with us. Things are not good at all. I was present when the statement was made that a virus had eaten into our judicial delivery system, and I want to assure you that it is correct. I’m 41 years old at the bar, having been called to the bar on August 15, 1984.
“This is the first year in all my 41 years at the bar that we don’t have vacation judges in place in Imo State, meaning that if there’s an emergency, even if it’s a life or death matter in Imo State, there’s no judge that can give you any respite.
“I’m aware that some people who need to sign their assets declaration forms, which must be signed by a judge, have not been able to do so because there is no judge on seat.
“This is the first time in my 41 years at the bar that we are seeing this. And then processes of court are being filed every day. One of the innovations that the former Chief Judge, B. N. Njemanze, introduced when we were in office was that if you file a matter, instead of waiting for all the processes to be completed before it is assigned to a judge, it normally took time and that’s why you used to hear stories of files missing or hidden and stuff like that.”
According to him, no case file has been assigned to a judge since June till date due to the absence of an acting Chief Judge, while certain functions have stalled due to the absence of an Attorney General.
The former Attorney General said, “Today, the change was that if you file your process within a week, it will be assigned to a court, given a date, and it will be served on the other side. They will come to court and say yes, we have been served, but our time is still running. Now for the past three months, nobody assigns them to any court. So they can’t be served and it is not good.
“There are certain statutory functions which only the person who has been sworn in as the Attorney General can perform. For instance, the AG sits in the state security council so as to be able to guide both the police, DSS, Civil Defence, and all the other security agencies when they deliberate.
“That is his job, to tell them what the law says. For as long as you don’t have an Attorney General, that professional advice would not be availed to the members of the Security Council. Ditto for the Judicial Service Commission that employs, controls, and disciplines judicial staff.
“Now there’s no Chief Judge, meaning that nobody can preside over the meetings of the Judicial Service Commission, and there’s no Attorney General who is the statutory member, which means that the State Judicial Service Commission is also paralysed.
“At the end of the day, in any society you deny access to justice, it means that that society has degenerated below the Stone Age. And that is the reality in Imo State.”
Njoku maintained that any human problem can be solved by humans, even as he argued that he didn’t know what may be the underlying issue.
He said, “Ideally, I do not criticise a person wearing the shoes and walking in an awkward manner because I do not know where it pinches him, so I do not really know why this is the situation we find ourselves in. But whatever the reason is, this situation is most unfortunate, most disturbing and unacceptable to us in the legal profession.
“Of course, you know that usually when we go on vacation in August/September, that is our leave period and our incomes usually drop. But we usually prepare from June/July to get ourselves ready for August/September. But in Imo State, our problems started as far back as June. You remember the recommendation to retire compulsorily nine judges, and as soon as that process started, both those nine judges and their colleagues almost like hands off, as nobody was sure anymore.
“So from June to today, the entire justice delivery system in Imo State appeared to be in coma. And that is not good. It may not be me that is in need of justice today, it may be someone else, which is why one will plead passionately with the Governor to see what can be done to sort out this problem so that the judiciary can go back to its normalcy and function normally.
“The way forward for the judiciary is that human problems must be solved by human beings.
“This problem is not rocket science or cast in stone. We have a situation where the National Judicial Council says in accordance with the law, you must swear in the most senior judge as the acting Chief Judge. NJC says we shall not waiver, we shall not equivocate, we shall not shift on this point. You see two elephants but we the grass are the ones suffering.”
Further, he said, “The solution in my humble opinion, is for the Governor to consider the position of the NJC and swear in the most senior judge as the acting Chief Judge. Let me make this point to you, in accordance with the constitution, a private legal practitioner can be appointed the Chief Judge of Imo State so long as he is more than 10 years at the bar.”
Contact & Orders 📞 0704 444 4777 | 0704 444 4999 | 0818 199 9888 🌐 www.alexandernigeria.com
______________________________________________________________________ [Now Available] -- From Crime Scene To Courtroom: An Authoritative Legal Handbook On Police Investigations
In this authoritative work, Basil Momodu Esq., titled Police Investigations in Nigeria Through the Cases 📖 Available now Call 07051822705 or any of the recommended independent booksellers listed hereunder. ______________________________________________________________________ 
“History of Rivers State Judiciary: A Compendium of Personalities on the Bench.” Authored by Ampim Gogo Blankson, Esq., Deputy Director at the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the Rivers State Judiciary 💰 Cover Price: ₦20,000.00 (Twenty Thousand Naira) Bukky Law Books, Rivers State High Court Complex, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt – 📞 08034868754📞 08034729738📞 Enquiries ______________________________________________________________________ Law Practice Kit (Second Edition) And Legal Luminaries Series 2 Unveiled 
Authored by Abdulrasheed Ibrahim, LL.M, Notary Public Law Practice Kit (Second Edition) and Legal Luminaries Series 2 📚 For Enquiries and Orders, Contact: 📞 08055476823, 📞 08164683735, 📞 08033855230 _____________________________________________________________________ [A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials 
