Already, the process of appointing justices to fill the 11 vacant positions on the Supreme Court Bench has begun.
A civil society organisation, Justice and Equity Movement, has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to consider merit and equal geopolitical zone representation in the appointment of 11 new Supreme Court justices.
Already, the process of appointing justices to fill the 11 vacant positions on the Supreme Court Bench has begun.
The Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) had nominated 22 justices out of which 11 would be selected.
According to tradition of an unwritten code, it is expected that three justices are selected from each region to cover the six geo-political zones in the country for equal representation.
The director of the Justice and Equity Movement, Barrister Alfred Basil, said while some states had taken several slots to have representation at the apex court bench, some had not been represented for several years.
He gave particular example of Adamawa State in the North-East that has not had representation in the court in the last 40 years.
He however, applauded the leadership of the judiciary in the country for the nominations of the south-East justices.
He said at the moment, Bauchi and Gombe have representatives in the court and same for both Borno and Yobe, while Adamawa has been neglected for many years in the region.
"Adamawa State has been left out for a long time on the Supreme Court Bench without a representative. In less than 10 years, the Northeast has produced two Chief Justices of Nigeria.
"Justice Mahmud Mohammed from Taraba State retired as CJN in 2016 and Justice Tanko Mohammad from Bauchi state spent 16years on the bench of the Court before he retired last year as CJN.
“But a state like Adamawa has not had representation in the court for 40years. Fairness, justice and equity demand that a judge from Adamawa state should be given the opportunity to serve on the bench of the apex court.
"Lagos should not have two representatives because only Lagos does not make up the South-West. Justice and equity demand that other states in the region should be given the chance to have representation", he said.
He said the issue of the Northwest is also very serious and should be look into very well.
He gave an instance of two Justices, one retired and the other still serving from Katsina, who was also replaced by a judge from the same state after dropping a judge from Jigawa State recommended for appointment to the apex court.