THE Senate has confirmed the appointment of 11 Supreme Court justices appointed by President Bola Tinubu.
The confirmation followed the consideration and adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters at the plenary session on Thursday, December 21.
With the confirmation of the justices, the Supreme Court now has the court’s full complement of 21 justices as stipulated in the Nigerian Constitution.
On December 7, The ICIR reported that the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended the appointment of 11 Supreme Court justices to Tinubu.
Tinubu subsequently asked the Senate to confirm the nominees whom the Council recommended to fill the vacant positions at the court.
While presenting his panel report, the committee chairman, Tahir Monguno, a senator representing Borno, said the nominees possessed the requisite qualifications and had the experience to occupy the position, adding that there was no petition against them.
During the confirmation, some senators raised concerns over the delay in appointing the justices.
Seriake Dickson, a senator representing Bayelsa, urged that provisions for immediate replacements should be made in the event of subsequent vacancies.
“Anytime these vacancies occur, they should be filled immediately.
“I want to draw that to the attention of the President that there shouldn’t be a delay so that we don’t become a laughing stock.”
Also, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, emphasised the urgency of promptly screening and appointing those in line whenever vacancies arise in the apex court.
Below are the 11 justices confirmed by the Senate:
- Haruna Tsammani (North-East)
- Moore Adumein (South-South)
- Jummai Sankey (North-Central)
- Chidiebere Uwa (South-East)
- Chioma Nwosu-Iheme (South-East)
- Obande Ogbuinya (South-East)
- Stephen Adah (North-Central)
- Habeeb Abiru (South-West)
- Jamilu Tukur (North-West)
- Abubakar Umar (North-West)
- Mohammed Idris (North-Central).
In October, The ICIR reported concerns over a drop in Nigerian Supreme Court justices, coming short of the court’s full complement of 21 justices as stipulated in the Constitution.
The number had decreased to 10 after the retirement of a justice, Musa Dattijo Muhammad, on October 26, 2023.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M
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