By Anayo Okoli

Umuahia – ABIA State House of Assembly has, for the second time, rejected the nomination of Justice Ijeoma Offonry as the Chief Judge of the state, saying her appointment did not follow due process.

Justice Offonry was rejected about six months ago when her name was nominated and presented by Governor Theodore Orji to the House.

The House had rejected her nomination then because most of its members, including lawyers, claimed they didn’t  know her record well.

Offonry was nominated alongside two other Judges and sent to the National Judicial Council of Nigeria, NJC, which approved her appointement as Chief Judge of Abia State, being  the most senior Judge in the state.

She was later made Acting Chief Judge, which she had since served out before her re-nomination, which the House also rejected last Tuesday through a resolution.

According to the Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr. Asiforo Okere, there are no new reasons adduced to convince the members to approve her nomination this time around.

Okere explained that the process of appointing a Chief Judge of a state involved the executive, the National Judicial Commission and State Judicial Service Commission, SJSC.

He said that in the case of Offonry, the input of the SJSC was not considered, adding that NJC only considered seniority.

Answering questions on why the woman was being treated as though she was not from the state, more so when no specific offence had been pinned down on her, Okere said the House did not and would not act on sentiments.