BY VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA – GOVERNOR Peter Obi of Anambra State has sworn-in Justice Peter Umeadi as the acting chief judge of the state.

Until his appointment, Justice Umeadi was the administrative judge of Onitsha judicial division.

The appointment of the acting chief judge followed the retirement of the former chief judge, Justice Paul Obidigwe, who attained the mandatory retirement age of 65 last week.

Governor Obi, who performed the ceremony in Awka, reminded the acting chief judge of the challenges confronting the judiciary, including the on-going strike by staff of the judiciary, which, he noted, was occasioned not by non-payment of salaries, but the workers’ union’s demand for a special salary scheme for its members, which was beyond the resources of the state.

The governor, who assured him of total support of the state government to restore the state judiciary to its glorious height, said government was working relentlessly to resolve the dispute and get the courts open and functioning again in the interest of the people who had been denied access to justice for too long.