Minna: Judicial activist urges CJN, Ariwoola to correct injustices done by his predecessor in office

A Minna based human right activist, Comrade Saidu Abdulkareem, has reminded the National Judicial Council (NJC) under the leadership of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola to as a matter of urgency revisit the case of the appointment of some Federal High Court judges who were robbed of their appointment under the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Tanko.

He said the reminder has become imperative as the chief justice is about to go on retirement in August 2024, urging the CJN to revisit the matter in the forthcoming 106th NJC meeting.

This was contained in a press statement issued by the activist and made available to CAPITAL POST in Minna on Sunday, noting that some of the applicants were invited for the interview in 2021, the qualified applicants of the interview were replaced with those who failed the interview at the FJSC (Federal Judicial Service Commission).

According to the Human-right activist, a particular female Chief Magistrate from the Niger State Judiciary was among the qualified applicants in the interview, but her name was replaced with another applicant from Niger State who failed woefully in the interview ” because she has no God Father in the NJC.

“The applicant in question was said to have been favored by his Godfather who was a Justice in the Supreme Court as at the time of the interview in 2021.

” I’m calling on the CJN, and indeed the NJC, to as a matter of necessity safeguard and protect the integrity and morality of the Nation’s Judiciary, to do everything within his position to revisit this fundamental issue in the next 106th NJC meeting before his exit from office in August” the activist stated.

He pointed out that if the Judiciary, as the last hope of the oppressed and the last hope of common man will harbor favoritism by denying ” a qualified hands to man our Courts, then there will be no hope in our Judiciary any longer.

“The woman in Question according to credible Information in our possession has served the Niger State Judiciary with all integrity as an incorruptible Chief Magistrate, for somebody out of the blues to deny her the position of Federal High Court Judge is quite painful and unfortunate” he added.

Comrade Abdulkareem further called on the CJN to maintain his unblemished integrity as the Chief Justice to urgently revisit the Injustice and the monumental corruptions perpetrated on the appointment of the Federal High Court Judges in 2021, to appoint the rightful applicant who qualified for the appointment.

Recall that the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) had some times in 2021 invited some qualified applicants for an interview to be appointed as Federal High Court Judges in the country.

During the interview those who appeared for the interview were shortlisted for the appointment but were replaced with unqualified applicant now Presiding over a Federal High Court somewhere in Niger Delta state.

” As your Lordship is bowing out of service in August 2024, it will be on record that you are leaving that office with your unblemished integrity intact by doing the necessary thing known of your hard work, and the integrity you built for yourself in the service of the Nation’s Judiciary” he asserted.

“Again, this is another public outcry in respect of the said appointment of judges to the Federal High Court. Please heed this cry, for we can’t put something on nothing and expect it to stand. The foundation of the appointment of this particular judge having been corrupted from its base.”