Retiring Supreme Court, Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, on Friday, disclosed that the travel ban imposed on a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court by the United States of America (USA) was occasioned by a misinterpretation of a judgement delivered by members of the panel.
Justice Abba Aji, made the disclosure at a special valedictory court session held in her honour at the Supreme Court in Abuja.
Although the retiring justice did not identify the judgment, the disclosure is believed to relate to the Supreme Court’s January 14, 2020 decision that overturned the election of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Imo State governor and declared Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner
The seven-member panel included Abba-Aji, the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and former Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, alongside other justices.
The ruling generated considerable controversy after the apex court accepted results from 388 polling units that were initially excluded from the final collation of the 2019 governorship election.
The court directed that the votes Uzodimma claimed to have secured in the affected polling units be added to the results earlier announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), leading to his emergence as governor.
The judgment attracted criticism from opposition figures and sections of the public, with questions raised over the circumstances surrounding the additional votes and the reversal of the earlier declaration in favour of Ihedioha.
Former Cross River State governor Donald Duke had also alleged in 2023 that the seven justices involved in the ruling were denied US visas when they sought to attend a judicial conference in the country.
According to the allegation, members of the justices’ entourage who applied for visas were granted entry permits, while the judicial officers were denied
Abba Aji was the first female judge from Yobe State and second female Justice from the North-east geopolitical zone. She bowed out from the judiciary on November 7, upon attaining the mandatory 70 years retirement age.
She attributed the US restrictions to what she described as the widespread misinterpretation of a judgment delivered by the panel, adding that the ban remained in force.
“My time on the Supreme Court bench was filled with challenges, some of which have served as additional opportunities to stand firm on the side of justice, regardless of the consequences.
“One of such challenging judgments was widely misinterpreted and led to a travel ban to the United States of America being imposed on all members of the panel, a ban which still holds today,” she said.
Abba-Aji also recalled a separate experience in 2016 when she was attending a programme in Washington DC, and received a telephone call requesting her appearance before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a petition filed against her in Lagos.
She said the complaint resulted in repeated visits to the commission, where she responded to questions concerning corruption allegations which she maintained she knew nothing about.
The former justice said the EFCC eventually cleared her of the allegations following its investigation.
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However, she described the period as particularly difficult, explaining that public criticism and damaging claims had circulated while the conservative nature of the judiciary prevented her from defending herself openly.
Despite the challenges, Abba-Aji maintained that judicial officers must remain committed to upholding the law, even when their decisions attract criticism or personal consequences.
“Such inconveniences were a price to pay to preserve the chastity of justice,” she said.
She urged younger judges to uphold integrity in the discharge of their responsibilities, stressing that justice must remain the guiding principle of judicial service.
She also advised serving judicial officers to demonstrate humility and courage, reminding them that the law was not merely a profession but a trust.
At the session, Kekere-Ekun commended Abba-Aji for her contributions to the judiciary, describing her years of service as significant to the legal profession and women who aspire to leadership positions on the Bench.
The Chief Justice said Abba-Aji was leaving behind an unblemished record of service.
Also speaking, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, praised the retiring justice for her contribution to the country’s legal system.
Fagbemi particularly acknowledged her role in a judgment that led to the establishment of key anti-corruption institutions, including the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.