Nigeria: Ending the Impunity in State Judiciaries

4 March 2014

The judgment delivered penultimate week by Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, on the appointment of chief judges is an abiding lesson for governors.

For governors in the habit of appointing Chief Judges without due process, the judgment of Justice Lambo Akanbi of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt penultimate week was perhaps what was needed to put an end to the impunity. For some time, it has been an issue causing disaffection among judges of the state judiciaries. In all of this, nobody had ever thought of approaching the court to test the law of the land until this time. Justice Akanbi while delivering judgment in the suit filed by a group, Kengena Unity Forum, challenging Governor Chibuike Amaechi's appointment of Justice Peter Agumagu as acting chief judge of the state, not only invalidated the appointment, but directed the state governor to conform to the provisions of the constitution in the appointment of an acting chief judge. In the judgment, the judge said the 1999 Constitution is very clear on who should be appointed the acting chief judge of the state. He said the constitution was explicit that the most senior judge in the state High Court should be selected to occupy the position whenever it was vacant.

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