The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, under the umbrella of the five Bar Branches in Abia State, has handed a 14 day ultimatum to the state government over the strike embarked upon by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, Abia State chapter.
JUSUN, Abia State chapter, had on 16th March,2026, embarked on an industrial action over the non implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding,MOU, allegedly signed between the union and the state government on 14th June,2023.
In a communique issued after the 10th quarterly meeting of the body of the chairmen ,Abia Bar, comprising the five branches: Aba, Umuahia, Isiala Ngwa,Ukwa, and Bende, the NBA disclosed that it wrote a letter dated 1st April,2026,to Governor Alex Otti, seeking a meeting over the JUSUN matter ,but the Governor had yet to respond to the letter.
The body of chairmen also stated that efforts to meet with the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna,SAN,had proved futile.
Chairmen of the respective NBA branches,Charles Onuchukwu ( Aba); Isaac Anya, ( Umuahia); Eze Nwaegoro (Isiala Ngwa); Kingsley Nwachi (Ukwa) and S.E. Elekeson (Bende); further disclosed that they had met with the state executive committee of JUSUN led by Prince Chinedu Eze, who presented an MoU signed by Ikechukwu Uwanna, then Senior Special Assistant on legal matters to the Governor; Chief Registrar of the High Court of Abia State, Mrs V. C. Okey- Nwokeukwu, which reiterated JUSUN’s right to resume strike in the case of any breach of the MOU.
It added that the MOU signed between the state government and JUSUN on 14th March ,2023, is binding on all parties.
The NBA insisted that JUSUN ought to be autonomous and independent to be free to perform her function without fear or favour, stressing that the refusal of the state government to grant financial autonomy to the state judiciary is condemnable.
The communique read in part, “The Bar demands that the Government of Abia State should grant financial autonomy to the Abia State Judiciary without further delay.
“The Bar also demands that funds due to the Abia State Judiciary must be paid directly to the official account of the Abia State Judiciary from the Consolidated Revenue Fund so that the JUSUN strike can be immediately suspended or called off.
“If, after the expiration of 14 working days, the demands of the Bar are not complied with, the Body of Chairmen will be left with no other option than to mobilize Lawyers in all the Branches of our Association in the State to stage a mass protest against the Abia State Government’s constitutional recklessness on this issue.
“On the 27th day of March, 2026, the members of the Body of Chairmen of Abia Bar mandated the Chairman of NBA Aba Branch, Charles Nsobundu Onuchukwu, Esq, to schedule a physical meeting with the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Abia State, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN. Unfortunately, the learned Attorney General of Abia State, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, maintained that he would not be available for a physical meeting but opted for a virtual meeting (on a very important issue as the JUSUN Strike),which was not acceptable to the Body of Chairmen of Abia Bar. The Attorney General directed the Branch Chairmen to engage the Chief Judge of Abia State or the Commissioner for Labour of Abia State on the issues that led to the JUSUN Strike in Abia State.
“Thereafter, the Body of Chairmen of Abia Bar wrote to the Governor of Abia State via a letter dated the 1st day of April, 2026, and received by the office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Abia State, Government House, Umuahia, requesting to pay a courtesy visit to the Governor. Up until now, the Governor has yet to consider, approve, or disapprove the application made to his good offices.
“The Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Abia State Government and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Abia State chapter, on the 14th day of June, 2023, is still sacrosanct and the same is binding on all the parties to the agreement.
“Despite the constitutional provisions, the Abia State Judiciary is still dependent on the Executive arm of Government for its funding.
“Funds due to the Abia State Judiciary must be paid directly to the Chief Judge of Abia State and the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Abia State, from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
“The refusal by the Abia State Government (both past and present) to grant financial autonomy to the State Judiciary speaks volumes of the level of unconstitutionality, lawlessness, and impunity Nigeria deals with.
“The Abia State Government, led by Dr. Alex Otti, should not be allowed to cherry-pick what aspect of the Constitution to obey, nor should the Government set a particular time to obey the Constitution.
“The facts canvassed by the learned Attorney General of Abia State, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN in the cause of his press conference on the current JUSUN strike in Abia State is grievously false and therefore being reduced to a mirage and its proof a herculean task that requires more than doctrinal argument of the Chief Law Officer of Abia State which cannot take the place of hard facts and evidence against the Abia State Government.”
