NJC clears 11 Justices for Supreme Court

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended 11 Court of Appeal Justices for elevation to the Supreme Court.

At its 104th meeting held yesterday, the Council considered the list of candidates presented by its interview committee.

Director of Information, Soji Oye, said in a statement that they would be sworn in after the approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and confirmation by the Senate.

It will be the first time the Supreme Court will have the full complement of 21 justices, according to Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Olukayode Ariwoola.

He said during the new legal year ceremonies that he was determined to break the jinx as one of his legacies.

The number of Supreme Court Justices dropped to 10 from 13 with the retirement of Amina Augie and Musa Dattijo Muhammad, and the death of Chima Nweze.

The process of picking the Supreme Court justices dashed the hope of some senior lawyers in practice and in the academia being appointed to the apex court.

The recommended justices are Jummai Hannatu Sankey (Plateau, Northcentral), Chidiebere Nwaoma Uwa (Abia, Southeast), Chioma Egondu Nwosu-Iheme (Imo, Southeast), Haruna Simon Tsammani (Bauchi, Northeast) and Moore Aseimo A. Adumein (Bayelsa, Southsouth).

Others are Obande Festus Ogbuinya (Ebonyi, Southeast), Stephen Jonah Adah (Kogi, Northcentral), Habeeb Adewale O. Abiru (Lagos, Southwest), Jamilu Yammama Tukur (Katsina, Northwest), Abubakar Sadiq Umar (Kebbi, Northwest) and Mohammed Baba Idris (Niger, Northcentral).

Minor changes were made to the list first sent to the NJC by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC).

The NJC replaced Justice Muhammad Lawal Shuaibu (Jigawa, Northwest), with Justice Tukur, who was not on the original list; while Justice Nwosu-Iheme, who was on the reserve list, replaced Justice Anthony Ogakwu (Enugu, Southeast).

Tsammani was the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.

He headed the five-member panel that determined the presidential election petitions.

Another notable name is Justice Idris, renowned as a brilliant and hardworking judge and son of a former CJN, Idris Kutigi.

He was the judge who jailed former Abia State Governor Orji Ozor Kalu while sitting at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The Supreme Court later invalidated the fiat issued to Justice Idris by the Court of Appeal following his elevation, thereby freeing Kalu and his co-accused.

Oye said the NJC also recommended Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed for elevation to the Court of Appeal.

Mohammed was the trial judge in the fraud case involving former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam and his Finance Commissioner, Omadachi Oklobia at the Federal High Court, Abuja.