The National Judicial Council (NJC) is set to meet this week on Wednesday and Thursday to finalize the appointment of 11 judges for the Supreme Court, as well as judges for the states of the federation.
After receiving 22 nominees from the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) for openings in the Supreme Court bench, the NJC will review and forward the names to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who will transmit them to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
The NJC will begin their appointment process, which includes interviews and a review of the report of its panel that screened the candidates, on Wednesday, and conclude on Thursday by selecting 11 names.
A source revealed that the council members will thoroughly consider each candidate for appointment and study petitions against them, if any, by their merit. Where allegations are proven, those involved will be rejected. In the end, the 11 candidates found to be credible and capable will be ratified.
Furthermore, the NJC will also consider and recommend judges for appointment to the Federal High Courts, the National Industrial Court, heads of courts, and judges at the state level. The names of the new judges for the state High Courts, Customary Courts of Appeal, and Sharia Courts will be forwarded to state governors for ratification.
According to the provisions of paragraph 20 of part one of the third schedule to the 1999 Constitution as amended, the NJC comprises the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), who is the chairman; the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court as the deputy chairman; the President of the Court of Appeal; five retired justices selected by the CJN from the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal; the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court; the President, National Industrial Court of Nigeria; and five chief judges of states to be appointed by the CJN from among the chief judges of the states and of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on rotation to serve for two years.
It was also revealed that Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, who recently retired from the Supreme Court and criticized the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, was the second most ranking justice at the Supreme Court. He was chairman of the NJC appointment, finance, and constitution review committees.
Justice Muhammad was senior to Ariwoola at the Court of Appeal, but the latter was appointed to the Supreme Court before him. When Justice Tanko Muhammed retired as the CJN, some people pushed for the convention to be broken for Justice Dattijo Muhammed to become the CJN, but former President Muhammadu Buhari stuck with the seniority protocol and appointed Ariwoola, who was next in rank at the apex court.