• LOBBYING INTENSIFIES FOR CHOICE SLOTS

The National Judicial Council (NJC) will on Wednesday next week decide on a final shortlist of justices that will fill the 11 vacancies on the Supreme Court bench, CITY LAWYER can authoritatively report.

Meanwhile, CITY LAWYER gathered from an NJC member that lobbying has been intensifying from the candidates and their proxies to be nominated for the choice slots in the judiciary.

The Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) had nominated 22 justices of the Court of Appeal to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for elevation to the Supreme Court.

The two-day meeting of the highly influential National Judicial Council will hold at its headquarters in Abuja. CITY LAWYER gathered that candidates on the FJSC shortlist have been screened the council.

While the first day of the plenary will discuss the shortlist of candidates drawn up by the NJC panels as well as lists sent in by the various state judicial service commissions for appointment at different levels of the court system, Day 2 of the NJC Meeting will deal with disciplinary matters relating to judicial officers.

While six of the nominees are from the North-Central zone, two nominees each are from the South-West and the South-South. The South-East zone has six nominees while the North-East has two nominees.

With the recent retirement of Justice Amina Augie and Justice Musa Muhammad Dattijo, the Supreme Court bench has depleted to merely 10 out of the 21 slots provided by the Constitution.

Decrying the gaps in the appointment of Supreme Court justices, Dattijo had stated that “It is evident that the decision not to fill the vacancies in the court is deliberate. It is all about the absolute powers vested in the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the responsible exercise of the same.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that the Olumide Akpata-led Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had a running battle with the leadership of the Court of Appeal over the quality of candidates shortlisted for the court’s bench.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola recently swore in nine new Justices of the Court of Appeal, swelling the rank of the judges of the court to 81.

NOMINATED JUSTICES OF COURT OF APPEAL RECOMMENDED TO THE NJC FOR ELEVATION TO THE SUPREME COURT

(1) SOUTH EAST

1 Hon Justice Nwaoma Uwa (Abia State)-Priority 1A.Hon Justice Onyekachi Otisi (Abia State) -Reserve

2 Hon Justice Obande Ogbuinya (Ebonyi State)-Priority

2A Hon Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua (Imo State)- Reserve

3 Hon Justice Anthony Ogakwu (Enugu State)-Priority

3A Hon Justice Chioma Nwosu-lheme (Imo State)-Reserve

(2) SOUTH SOUTH

1 Hon Justice Moore Adumein (Bayelsa State)-Priority

1A Hon Justice Biobele Georgewill (Rivers State)-Reserve

(3) SOUTH WEST

1 Hon Justice Adewale Abiru (Lagos State)-Priority

1A Hon Justice Olubunmi Oyewole (Osun State)-Reserve

(4) NORTH CENTRAL

1 Hon Jummai Sankey (Plateau State)-Priority

1A Hon Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Sirajo (Plateau)-Reserve

2 Hon Justice Stephen Adah (Kogi State)-Priority

2A Hon Justice Ridman Maiwada Abdullahi (Nassarawa State) -Reserve

3 Hon Justice Baba Idris (Niger State)-Priority

3A Hon Justice Joseph Ikyegh (Benue State)-Reserve

(5) NORTH EAST

1 Hon Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani (Bauchi State)-Priority

1A Hon Justice Abubakar Talba (Adamawa State)

(6) NORTH WEST

1. Hon Justice Muhammad Lawal Shuaibu (Jigawa State)-Priority

1A. Hon Justice Bello Aliyu (Zamfara State) -Reserve

2. Hon Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar (Kebbi State)-Priority

2A Hon Justice Abdullahi Mahmud Bayero (Kano State)-Reserve

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