Ayade apologises to lawyers for delay in swearing in CJ

 Nsa Gill. Calabar

CROSS River State Governor Ben Ayade has tendered an apology to the people of the state and lawyers in particular for the delay, which lasted for 48 days, before a Chief Judge was sworn in to head the judiciary.

The governor spoke at the State Executive chambers yesterday when he swore in Justice Eyo Effiom Ita as the acting Chief Judge.

The swearing-in of Justice Ita was done by the governor in a brief ceremony before a group of concerned lawyers in the state led a protest to the Governor’s Office demanding that the governor should rather do the right thing by swearing in a substantive Chief Judge.

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Governor Ayade said the swearing-in was in keeping with “the obligations and provisions of the constitution, particularly with reference to Section 217 of the Constitution.”

He apologised to the people of the state and lawyers for the delay in the appointment of a new chief judge, saying the state was waiting for communication from the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The governor said the ceremony was taking place because the NJC had Wednesday last week taken a decision “that the next in ranking be appointed as Acting Chief Judge.”