A social crusader, Prince Bob Njemanze, has taken a swipe at those who are against the emergence of any female Chief Judge in Imo State.

Njemanze, who reacted during a press conference in Owerri, to what he called “the current attempts to frustrate Justice Ijeoma Agugua from emerging as the substantive Chief Judge of Imo State”, however described the purveyors as “a cartel and enemies of Imo Judiciary”.

He accused the cartel of “subverting due process, neglecting the principle of seniority and civil service procedures, by clandestinely manipulating and wrongly deciding who becomes the Chief Judge of Imo State, to assuage their selfish and parochial interests.”

Njemanze recalled with grief that their first female victim was late Justice Ifunanya Udom, who was the most senior at the time, ought to have rightly occupied the position of Chief Judge of the state.

While accusing this cartel of wielding enormous powers over the State Judicial Service Commission, Njemanze however, commended Governor Hope Uzodimma for “being bold and courageous in placing premium on equity, fairness and due process, by dislodging the powerful cabal that has held the state judiciary hostage for over 20 years and appointed Justice Ijeoma Agugua as the Acting Chief Judge”.

He recalled that the immediate past Chief Judge, Justice Paschal Nnadi, was Agugua’s junior at the bench, adding that the same cabal manoeuvred their way through the instrumentality of the State Judicial Service Commission.