Following the retirement of Justices Amina Augie and Mohammed Datijo, leaving the Supreme Court with only 10 serving justices, the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) has nominated 22 justices from the Court of Appeal for elevation to the Supreme Court. The comprehensive list, encompassing diverse regions of the country, has been forwarded to the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The nominations are strategically distributed across various regions, with the North-Central region having six nominees, the South-East and South-South regions with two each, and the North-East with two nominees as well. This move aims to address the current vacuum in the Supreme Court and reinforce its judicial capacity.
The FJSC disclosed the names of the nominees in an official document recently. The breakdown of the nominations is as follows:
South-East:
1. Hon Justice Nwaoma Uwa (Abia State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Onyekachi Otisi (Abia State) – Reserve
2. Hon Justice Obande Ogbuinya (Ebonyi State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua (Imo State) – Reserve
3. Hon Justice Anthony Ogakwu (Enugu State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Chioma Nwosu-lheme (Imo State) – Reserve
South-South:
1. Hon Justice Moore Adumein (Bayelsa State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Biobele Georgewill (Rivers State) – Reserve
South-West:
1. Hon Justice Adewale Abiru (Lagos State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Olubunmi Oyewole (Osun State) – Reserve
North-Central:
1. Hon Jummai Sankey (Plateau State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Sirajo (Plateau) – Reserve
2. Hon Justice Stephen Adah (Kogi State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Ridman Maiwada Abdullahi (Nassarawa State) – Reserve
3. Hon Justice Baba Idris (Niger State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Joseph Ikyegh (Benue State) – Reserve
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North-East:
1. Hon Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani (Bauchi State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Abubakar Talba (Adamawa State)
North-West:
1. Hon Justice Muhammad Lawal Shuaibu (Jigawa State) – Priority
. Hon Justice Bello Aliyu (Zamfara State) – Reserve
2. Hon Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar (Kebbi State) – Priority
2A. Hon Justice Abdullahi Mahmud Bayero (Kano State) – Reserve
This carefully selected and regionally diverse list aims to bolster the Supreme Court’s capacity, ensuring an effective and representative judiciary for the nation. The nominees, once approved by the NJC, are poised to contribute significantly to the nation’s legal landscape.
