Judicial Arena Faces Turmoil as Supreme Court Nominations Spark Controversy

The appointment of 22 justices to the Supreme Court has stirred controversy within the judiciary. The Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) released a list last Thursday, leading to disagreement among senior serving and retired justices.

According to a senior Justice, President Bola Tinubu’s actions may lead to a direct confrontation with a significant portion of the Nigerian bench, calling the appointment process the most politicized in the country’s history. Another Justice expressed concern about the controversial prioritization of a candidate from the North-Central zone over a senior jurist with over 15 years of experience in the Court of Appeal.

In the South-South, the appointment of a reserve candidate over the one adjudged as the best has raised eyebrows. Questions are being raised about the sudden change in priority and the exclusion of a highly-rated justice during the short-listing process.

In the North-West, Justices are puzzled by the exclusion of Justice AB Gumel, despite being the top-ranked jurist from the region. The South-West also faces criticism as a reserve candidate from 2019 remains on the list, while a new candidate, who never made the short-list previously, is given priority.

Concerns are growing among senior members of the judiciary, who fear that the perceived irregularities in the appointment process may further lower morale and cause discord.

On a positive note, legal scholar Prof Yemi Akinseye George commended the FJSC’s list, expressing pride in the caliber of nominated justices. He acknowledged the possibility of human error but gave the list a high score of 99.9%.

Law professor Sam Erugo shared his perspective, stating that the conservative nature of the judiciary makes it resistant to change. He highlighted the lack of a strong campaign for inclusion from the Bar and suggested that hard-working Court of Appeal Justices are likely to be elevated to the Supreme Court.

In response to the controversy, sources from the Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council (NJC) reassured that the appointment process is ongoing. They emphasized that the FJSC’s list is not final, with the NJC having the authority to conduct rigorous interviews and make final selections.

The list of 22 nominated justices for Supreme Court appointment includes six from the North-Central, two each from the South-West and South-South, six from the South-East, and two from the North-East. The appointments come in the wake of the retirements of Justices Amina Augie and Mohammed Datijo, leaving the Supreme Court with only 10 serving justices.