NJC Recommends Four For Appointment As Supreme Court Judges

THE National Judicial Council has recommended four Justices of the Court of Appeal to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court, The PUNCH learnt on Thursday.

NJC’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, had said in a statement on Thursday that the council, at its second virtual meeting held on August 11 and 12, 2020, recommended a total of 22 candidates for appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court, and other various courts.

But the statement did not disclose the names of the 22 successful candidates or how many of them were meant for the apex court’s bench.

Our correspondent, however, reliably gathered from sources that four of the newly recommended 22 candidates were for the Supreme Court bench.

It was also reliably gathered that Justice Mohammed Garba, who headed last year’s Presidential Election Petition Court, topped the final shortlist of the four successful candidates for the apex court.

Justice Garba led the five-man Presidential Election Petition Court, which heard the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the victory of the President Buhari at the last year’s poll.

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Despite the persistent decline in the number of Justices, Buhari refused to attend to the list of four Justices comprising Justices Adamu Jauro, Emmanuel Agim, Sam Oseji, and Helen Ogunwumiju, recommended to the President for appointment to the apex court’s bench since October last year.

The newly recommended four candidates will add to the previous four, to make a new list of eight candidates recommended for appointment to the apex court’s bench.

NJC recommends 22 judges
However, Oye said the council at the meeting presided by its Chairman, who is also the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, recommended a total of 22 judicial officers across various courts.

Oye stated that the recommendation of the 22 candidates for appointment followed the council’s consideration of the Report of its Interview Committee.

The appointments of the 22 candidates are to take effect after the approval of either Buhari or the governors of the relevant states, as the case may be.

The statement also said the council also issued “a warning letter to Hon. Justice K. N. Ogbonnaya of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory following its findings on the petition written against him by Dr Uchechukwu Samson Ogah, OON, that His Lordship refused to release a copy of judgment delivered to the petitioner within the constitutionally prescribed period of seven days.”

The statement however added that the council dismissed the petition sent against 17 judges.

‘Intervene in delayed judges’ appointment’
Meanwhile, a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Thursday appealed to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, to intervene in the delayed appointment of more Supreme Court Justices by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Justice Ariwoola spoke at the legal-tech conference jointly organised by LawPavilion Business Solutions Limited and TELNET Nigeria Limited with the theme, ‘A new paradigm in justice delivery’.

Responding to a question during a panel discussion, Justice Ariwoola noted the need for appointment of more Justices and appealed for Osinbajo’s intervention.

In his remarks, Osinbajo said with the disruptions caused by the pandemic, things would never be the same again and called on the judiciary to embrace new thinking and new ways.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to doing everything possible to support our tech companies, especially those that are concerned with the administration of justice,” he added as he called for “retraining of our judicial personnel, lawyers and our legal staff.”

(PUNCH)