FG Seeks Senate’s Confirmation Of 11 Nominees As S’Court Justices 

FG Seeks Senate’s Confirmation Of 11 Nominees As S’Court Justices 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has requested the Senate to oversee the screening and confirmation of 11 justices who have been recommended for positions on the Supreme Court bench.

This request was conveyed through a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during a parliamentary session.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) put forth these 11 nominees to President Tinubu, who now seeks their appointment pending confirmation by the Senate.

The NJC made these recommendations in response to the vacancies left by the passing and resignations of several Supreme Court justices. With this context in mind, the recommended justices are as follows:

Justice Haruna Tsammani from the North-East, who previously chaired the Presidential Election Petition Court; Justice Moore Adumein from the South-South; Justice Jummai Sankey from the North-Central; Justice Chidiebere Uwa and Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, both from the South-East; Justice Obande Ogbuinya from the South-East; Justice Stephen Adah from the North-Central; Justice Habeeb Abiru from the South-West; Justice Jamilu Tukur and Justice Abubakar Umar, both from the North-West; and Justice Mohammed Idris from the North-Central.

The Senate President has referred the confirmation request to the Senate Committee on Judiciary for further screening and legislative evaluation.

Presently, the Supreme Court bench consists of 10 justices, which falls below the requisite minimum of 21 judges.

Additionally, only four out of the six geo-political zones in the country are currently represented on the Supreme Court bench.

The South-West and North-East regions have three justices each, while the South-South and North-West have two each. Notably, the South-East and North-Central regions lack representation on the Supreme Court bench, as they recently lost their last justices due to retirement and death, respectively.

If the recommended justices are confirmed, the South-East will finally have three justices represented on the Supreme Court, while the North-Central region will also have three justices on the bench.

This development seeks to address the current imbalance in regional representation and bolster the Supreme Court’s authority.