Four civic organisations under the aegis of the Open Justice Alliance have called on the Nigerian judiciary to prioritise merit and transparency in the appointment of judges to fill the vacancies at the Court of Appeal and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In a release on Thursday, the alliance noted that the heads of the courts must strive against all “odds to allow merit and transparency to regulate her recruitment process to forestall a repeat of the rather embarrassing situation in Kogi State.”
The alliance in the statement obtained by SaharaReporters noted that in the Kogi situation, seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria recently dragged the National Judicial Council and others to court in suit Number: FCT/ABJ/CS/05/2024 over what the Learned Silks had described as a gross violation of the regulations and constitutional principles of fairness, equity, and merit.
Nelson Olanipekun, speaking for the alliance, said, “We note from two separate letters issued from the Court of Appeal and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, that vacancies currently exist in the respective courts for which suitably qualified candidates are invited to submit their Expressions of Interest. We particularly commend the heads of the courts for putting federal character above ethnic consideration by specifying the regions and/or states to which the vacancies relate.
“The foregoing notwithstanding, however, we are constrained to urge that the Nigerian Judiciary must strive against all odds to allow merit and transparency to regulate her recruitment process to forestall a repeat of the rather embarrassing situation in Kogi State, where about seven (7) Senior Advocates of Nigeria recently dragged the National Judicial Council and others to court in suit Number: FCT/ABJ/CS/05/2024 over what the Learned Silks had described as a gross violation of the regulations and constitutional principles of fairness, equity, and merit.
“Of particular concern from the complaints of the Learned Silks was the attempt by Governor Yahaya Bello to appoint his wife as a judge of the Kogi State High Court, even though the wife clearly lacked the requisite qualifications and experience for the position. Also, we noticed that people with family ties and allies to senior Justices are being appointed as judges in the Judiciary.
“The Judiciary must be independent and be seen as independent. The stakeholders involved in the recruitment process must, therefore, eschew elements like ethnicity, family ties and political interference, which oftentimes taint the selection process and, in their place, disallow merit and transparency to reign supreme. Doing so will, in no small measure, impact positively on the already battered image of the Judiciary.
“It is our hope that this selection process will restore hope and confidence in our judicial appointment process.”