The House of Representatives took decisive action on Tuesday by passing a resolution that compels the Nigerian judiciary to halt its ongoing process of replacing 12 judges on the FCT High Court.
This swift response comes in light of recent revelations regarding nepotism and constitutional breaches, initially brought to attention by investigative reports from Peoples Gazette over the past week.
The parliamentary motion, put forward on Tuesday afternoon, specifically targets Chief Judge Baba-Yusuf’s recent initiative to appoint his daughter, Maryam, and the daughter of Chief Justice Kayode Ariwoola, Victoria Oluwakemi, as new judges in the nation’s capital.
“This is a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution, which required staffing from the 36 states and the FCT,” lawmaker Enwo Igariwey said while moving the motion to stay the recruitment titled: “Urgent need to re-examine the list of proposed states to fill the 12 vacancies created to the disadvantage of others in the High Courts of FCT.”
Lawmaker Enwo Igariwey, representing Ebonyi state, expressed concern over the exclusion of four states – Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, and Bayelsa – from judicial appointments in the FCT High Court.
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Legal expert Chidi Odinkalu highlighted the controversial appointments’ adverse impact, undermining protests over poor pay in the judiciary.
Investigations revealed that appointing judiciary leaders’ children hindered the career progression of other magistrates from various states. Questions arose regarding why Ariwoola and Baba-Yusuf prioritized their daughters as judges from states already represented on the FCT High Court.
Baba-Yusuf’s inclusion of Munira Ibrahim Tanko, daughter of former Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, from Bauchi, despite existing representation, raised further concerns.
The motion underscores the importance of upholding the Federal Character Commission principle to ensure equality of access and national unity.
“The fact that the underlying philosophy of the Federal Character Commission principle is to provide equality of access in public service representations, curb dominance by one or few sections of the country, promote inclusiveness and national unity,” Mr Igariwey said. “Violation of this principle of our Constitution may not only be destabilising but could open the floodgates to litigation.”
The resolution, overwhelmingly adopted through a voice vote by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, has been referred to the House Committee on FCT Judiciary for further action.
Both the Supreme Court and Baba-Yusuf’s office declined to comment on how they would address the House’s resolution.