The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and the Supreme Court have thrown their weight behind the call by the House of Representatives for the appointment of Supreme Court justices.
The NBA spokesperson, Habib Lawal, welcomed the resolution of the lawmakers.
He said, “Any call for the filling of the vacant positions at the Supreme Court is consistent with the persistent call of the Nigerian Bar Association, under the leadership of Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, OON, SAN, that the Supreme Court should be filled to its full constitutional complement of 21 seats. The NBA, therefore, welcomes every action by anybody to ensure that this is achieved as soon as practicable.’’
The Supreme Court Director of Information, Dr Akande, said the apex court was in dire need of justices.
He expressed optimism that ‘’the jinx would be broken’’ and the court would attain its full complement with the expected appointment of more justices.
Akande said, “The Supreme Court has 11 justices. We need 11 more to meet up with the full complement of the court. We were close to getting our full complement in 2020 when they were 20. We hope that the jinx is broken this time around. We need more justice at the apex court.’’
Adegoke Rasheed, SAN, said it was strange to have a shortage of justices at the apex court.
“The House of Reps is in order. It is unheard of that we have 11 Supreme Court justices. They were supposed to have appointed these justices before now. At that level, there should not be a shortage of personnel. As much as the constitution says that we should have 21 justices, it should be done and to appoint them is not rocket science.”
Adedipe Ifedayo, SAN, noted, “They are in order to remind the president of the shortage at the Supreme Court. Whether they can give him a timeframe is something I am not comfortable with, but they have done well to draw his attention to it. We should be replacing justices as they are retiring. We should not overwork them.’’
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
