The Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) has finally dropped the name of Amina Bello, wife of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello, from the list of nominees to be appointed as judges of the High Court of Kogi State.
Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), in January, sued the NJC and the Kogi State government for nominating Amina for appointment into the State’s judiciary.
The plaintiffs in the suit No: FCT/ABJ/CS/05/2024, are Chief Yunus Ustaz Usman and J.S. Okutepa. Others are Patrick Okolo, Abdullahi Haruna, Reuben Atabo, Shaibu Aruwa and Johnson Usman. They argued that the selection process violated regulations and constitutional principles of fairness, equity, and merit.
No fewer than 17 SANs from Kogi State, on October 26, 2023, had called for the suspension of the appointment of new judges into the State’s judiciary until certain criteria were met.
The lawyers made the demand in a letter to the Chief Judge and Chairman of Kogi State Judicial Service Commission, Justice Josiah Majebi, which was dated October 20, 2023.
Titled “RE: Provisional Short-list Of Candidates Of Ten Judicial Officers Of The High Court Of Justice Shariah Court Of Appeal And Customary Court Of Appeal,” the indigenous Kogi SANs stated that the appointment of Judges to superior courts of record is regulated and requires provision of basic facilities such as availability of courtrooms/Judges chambers, official cars, residential accommodation as well as equipped library in Judges’ chambers, citing Rules 1-5 of National Judicial Council Revised Guidelines.
According to the letter, the candidates listed for the Customary Court of Appeal are all from Kogi Central. They noted that there was no candidate from Kogi East or Kogi West, adding that there were qualified persons from Kogi East and Kogi West who were not selected.
However, on Thursday, the former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to say the NJC appeared to have finally dropped Amina Yahaya Bello, wife of fugitive Yahaya Bello from the list of nominees to be appointed as judges of the High Court of Kogi State. He described it as a “defeat for the forces of #genitalization of the judiciary in #Nigeria.”
According to the post, the NJC approved four names for the appointment, namely: “Joseph Sunday Ajesola, Ojoma Rachael Ojoma, Bahamas Kadiri; and Ezema Beatrice Ada.”
He added that the NJC also recommended the appointment of five Kadis as well as a judge for the Customary Court of Appeal.
Thanking Yunus Ustaz (SAN) and Jibrin (SAN) for leading from the front, Odinkalu, who has been a vocal critic of the Nigerian judiciary, wrote: “Breaking: In a defeat for the forces of #genitalization of the judiciary in #Nigeria, @njcNig appears finally to have dropped Amina Yahaya Bello, wife of fugitive, @OfficialGYBKogi, from the list of nominees to be appointed as judges of the High Court of Kogi State.
“Those approved for appointments are:
1. Joseph Sunday Ajesola
2. Ojoma Rachael Ojoma
3. Bahamas Kadiri; &
4. Ezema Beatrice Ada
“Also recommended are 5 Kadis as well as a judge for the Customary Court of Appeal.