The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Justice Helen M. Ogunwumiju as a Justice of the Supreme Court from the South-West geopolitical zone.
Also confirmed were Hon. Justice Lawal Garba (North West); Hon. Justice Addu Aboki (North West); Hon. Justice I. M. M. Saulawa (North West) and Hon. Justice Adamu Jauro (North East).
Others were: Hon. Justice Samuel C. Oseji (South-South); Hon. Justice Tijjani Abubakar (North East) and Hon. Justice Emmanuel A. Agim (South-South).
The confirmation the Supreme Court Justices followed consideration and approval of the report of the Chairman Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) at plenary.
Opeyemi, in his findings, said that the appointment of the nominees, satisfied the requirement of Sections 230 (2) and 231 (1) and (2) and (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which makes provisions for the appointment of Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; and the Senate Standing Orders 2015, as amended.
He noted upon confirmation of the appointment of the nominees by the Senate, all the Geo-political Zones will be represented by 3 or 4 Justices as the case may be “except the North-Central Zone, which will maintain its current two Justices on the Bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
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He added the reason why the North-Central zone has two Justices unlike other zones, can be attributed to the fact that during the selection process, the nomination from the zone was stood down by the selection committee for further review of the nomination by the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
He said that necessary steps are being taken to meet the full complement of the maximum number of Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, in line with the constitutional provision.
“In this regard, one more appointment from the North-Central Zone, which is in the offing, will complete the maximum number of Justices and balance the representation, across the geo-political zones,” he said.
He noted the appointment of Eight Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at one stretch, was a bold step taken by President Muhammadu Buhari to further strengthen the Judiciary to meet up with the challenges of the 21st Century, “being the first time ever, that the country will be having 20 Justices on the Bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
