A retiring Supreme Court Justice, Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, has revealed that a travel restriction imposed by the United States on her and six other members of the apex court over the 2020 Imo State governorship judgment has yet to be lifted.
She made this known on Friday at a valedictory session organised in her honour ahead of her compulsory retirement from the Supreme Court on November 7, 2026.
Reflecting on her years in the judiciary, Abba-Aji described the controversial ruling that led to the restrictions as one of the major challenges of her judicial career. She maintained that the decision had been widely misunderstood and said the consequences had continued despite the passage of time.
She said, “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.”
Although she did not expressly name the case, her remarks were understood to refer to the Supreme Court’s January 14, 2020, ruling that removed Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Imo State governor and declared Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election.
The seven-member panel that delivered the judgment included Abba-Aji and the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. It overturned earlier decisions by the Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, both of which had upheld Ihedioha’s election.
In the lead judgment delivered by then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, the court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw Ihedioha’s Certificate of Return and issue a new one to Uzodimma.
The ruling followed the acceptance of results from 388 polling units, representing 213,295 votes, which were presented before the election tribunal by a police officer who testified as PW-54. The results were reportedly disowned by INEC.
Their inclusion altered the final election figures, placing Uzodimma ahead of Ihedioha, who had initially been declared the winner.
The decision attracted widespread criticism, with questions raised over the validity of the disputed results and the legal implications of their inclusion in determining the election outcome.
Ihedioha subsequently approached the Supreme Court to review its decision, arguing that it had resulted in a miscarriage of justice. The apex court, however, rejected the application.
Justice Centus Nweze, one of the seven members of the panel, dissented from the majority decision and argued that Ihedioha should be reinstated. He described the judgment removing the former governor as a nullity and cautioned against its long-term impact on the country’s electoral jurisprudence.
“This decision of the Supreme Court will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come,” he said.
At her valedictory session, Abba-Aji maintained that the difficulties arising from the judgment were part of the sacrifices associated with upholding justice, regardless of the personal consequences.
“Such inconveniences were a small price to pay to preserve the chastity of justice,” she added.
Meanwhile, Kekere-Ekun commended the retiring justice for her years of service and contributions to the development of the Nigerian judiciary.
The CJN traced Abba-Aji’s judicial career to 1973, when she joined the Borno State judiciary as a Clerical Assistant. She later served in various administrative positions, including Assistant Registrar, Acting Registrar and Higher Registrar.
Abba-Aji was appointed to the Court of Appeal on September 22, 2004, where she served in several divisions, including Benin, Abuja, Ekiti, Owerri and Kaduna. She was subsequently elevated to the Supreme Court on January 8, 2019.
Kekere-Ekun also recognised her contributions to women’s advancement in the legal profession, particularly through her leadership roles in the Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria and as President of the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria.
She noted that Abba-Aji’s career had helped expand opportunities for women in the judiciary, especially during a period when female representation on the bench was limited.
“For many of us, particularly the women who have entered the Nigerian Judiciary in more recent years, Hon. Justice Abba-Aji’s career is part of the story of how the place of women in our Judiciary has evolved,” Kekere-Ekun said.
