The governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade, on Monday, swore in Akon Bassey Ikpeme as the chief justice of the state.
Aged 62, Justice Ikpeme became a Judge on November 16, 1998 and has served as acting chief Judge from 3, December 2019 to 2 March 2020.
Ikpeme who was sworn in at the executive council chambers, Calabar was twice rejected by the state house of assembly on account of her ethnicity, prompting the governor to swear in two junior Judges in acting capacity between March 2020 and January 2021.
Speaking at the event, the governor said the state was going through challenging period in its history and would want the judiciary to remain rancour-free and join hands with the executive and legislative arms to tackle the challenges.
He said Ikpeme was the right person for the plum job adding that she was sworn in at the right time.
Despite the politics surrounding her emergence, Ayade said the chief justice is God’s choice.
“Today brings to an end the internal concerns of Cross Riverians as it concerns the stability of our Judiciary.
“God has chosen a woman and not just a woman of God but a covenant Child. She is here at the right time and she is the right person for the job. We must put behind all the challenges in the process of getting back here.
“As God touched my heart over your matter, so has He touched the heart of every other person on your behalf. You must put behind you any ordeal you passed through in the course of your emergence.
