Seven Supreme Court Judges Who’ll Decide Tinubu, Atiku, Obi’s  Fate

As the Supreme Court tomorrow begins hearing in the appeals filed to challenge the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court, which affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 election, Alex Enumah profiles the seven justices who will have the opportunity to engrave their names in gold

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will begin to hear the appeals filed by the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; that of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and the Allied Peoples Movement, Chichi Ojei, to challenge the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court, which affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 election.

The notices for the hearing signed by Zainab M. Garba in the Office of the Registrar, said by the Order 2 Rule 1(2) of the Supreme Court’s Rules 1985 as amended, are deemed as sufficiently served on the parties.

The list of the seven-member panel to sit on the appeals which consist of five male and two females, include: Justices Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Emmanuel Agim, Lawal Garba, Helen M. Ogunwumiju,  Ibrahim Musa Saulawa , Adamu Jauro and Tijjani Abubakar.

The justices of the court have till November 6 to deliver judggment on all the appeals.

While Nigerians are waiting to see what the panelists would come up with, only a profile that would reveal their trajectories would suffice.

 Uwani Musa Abba Aji

Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji was born on November 7, 1956 in Gashua, Yobe State. She attended Central Primary School, Gashua and Government Girls Secondary School,  Maiduguri for her Primary and Secondary Education between 1961 and 1972. She obtained a Diploma in Law from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1976 and subsequently, an LLB from the same institution in 1980. She was called to Bar in 1981 and commenced her career as State Counsel in 1982.

Prior to holding this position however, she was a Chief Magistrate II in 1989, Chief Magistrate I in 1991 and Chief Registrar in November 1991. She was appointed High Court Judge of  the Yobe State Judiciary in December 1991 making her the first female judge at Yobe State Judiciary, a position she held until July 2004 when she was elevated to the Court of Appeal.

Before her elevation to the Supreme Court on January 8, 2019, her lordship was the Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal Kaduna Division, a position she held for four years.

Emmanuel Akomaye Agim

Justice Emmanuel Agim was born on April 26, 1960 in Obudu, Cross Rivers State. He obtained his first degree, LLB, at University of Calabar, then BL from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, and subsequently, LLM, from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

After serving as President of the Court of Appeal of The Gambia, and three years as Chief Justice of The Gambia, Justice Agim was later sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Swaziland on May 2, 2012 where he served in the first all-black bench in the history of Swaziland and her sister countries- Botswana and Lesotho.

On November 5, 2012, he was sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria by the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar.

In October 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Mohammed Lawal Garba

Mohammed Lawal Garba was born on November 16, 1958. He hails from Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State. He attended Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria from 1977-1980, Nigerian Law School, Lagos, from 1980-1981 and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Akoka, Lagos in 1989. He was called to the Bar in 1981.

Justice Garba served as Magistrate in the Sokoto State Judiciary from 1982-1986, Deputy Chief Registrar, High Court of Justice, Sokoto State from 1989-1991, and appointed Solicitor-General/Director-General Ministry of Justice Sokoto State from 1991-1993. He was then appointed a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Sokoto State from 1993-1996. He served as Chief Judge, High Court of Justice, Zamfara State from 1996-2004.

In 2004, Justice Garba was elevated to the Court of Appeal and served at various times as the Presiding Justice at Abuja, Calabar, Port Harcourt and Lagos Divisions of the court from 2010-2020.

Justice Garba was the judge who led the five-man presidential election petition tribunal, which heard and dismissed the petition filed by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the 2019 poll.

He was elevated to the Supreme Court on November 6, 2020.

Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju

Justice Helen Ogunwumiju was born on March 23, 1957. She hails from Ondo State. She attended the University of Lagos in 1977 where she bagged her LLB. She was called to Bar in 1978.

Justice Ogunwumiju was appointed a Chief Magistrate Grade 1 in Oyo State in 1991. She equally served as Chief Magistrate in Ibadan, Ile-Ife, Eruwa, Igboora and Oyo Magisterial Districts.

She was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Ondo State in November 1998. She was a member of the Election Petition Tribunal, Taraba State in 2003.

Justice Ogunwumiju was elevated to the Court of Appeal in November 2005 and served at the Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Benin, Owerri, Lagos and Enugu Divisions. She presided over the Benin and Enugu Divisions of the court.

On November 6, 2020, she was elevated to the Supreme Court.

Ibrahim Musa Saulawa

Justice Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa was born on September 29, 1956 in the ancient city of Katsina, Katina State. He attended both primary and secondary schools in Katsina from 1965 to 1976.  He proceeded to the prestigious Bayero University, Kano in September 1977 and graduated in June 1981 with a Bachelor of Law degree.  In the same year, he proceeded to the  Nigerian Law School, Lagos and was eventually called to Bar  on July 2, 1982.

Justice Saulawa was a Chief Magistrate, Katsina State Judiciary from 1987-1991; Deputy Chief Registrar/Chief Registrar, Court of Appeal, Lagos 1991-1994; and a High Court Judge, Katsina State Judiciary from 1994-2006.

Justice Saulawa was elevated to the Court of Appeal of Nigeria on June 10, 2006.  He served in the Calabar, Ilorin and Port Harcourt Divisions of the Court of Appeal as presiding justice.

He was elevated to the Supreme Court on November 10, 2020.

Tijjani Abubakar

Justice Tijjani Abubakar was born on April 15, 1960 and is a native of Base Local Government Area of Yobe State. He attended Gashua Central Primary School for his primary school education, and Government Secondary School, Gashua for his secondary education.

Later, he attended the School of Basic Science, University of Maiduguri. He attended the University of Maiduguri where he studied Law and graduated in 1982. After graduating from the Nigerian Law School, Abubakar was called to the Bar in 1983.

Justice Abubakar worked as Attorney General, Permanent Secretary and Commissioner for Justice of Yobe State at various times. After that, he went into private practice and set up his own law firm know as Tijani Abubakar and Co. In 2004, Abubakar returned to public practice with his appointment as a judge of the Federal High Court.

In 2012, he was appointed as Justice of the Court of Appeal. He was serving at the Lagos Division when he was appointed as one of the Justices of the Supreme Court in 2020.

Adamu Jauro

Justice Adamu Jauro was born on June 26, 1959. He hails from Gombe State. He attended Central Primary School, Gombe, Government Secondary School, Bauchi and the School of Basic Science, Zaria. Then in 1980, he studied Law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he bagged his LLB.

Justice Jauro holds a master’s degree in Law from the University of Jos. He also has a certificate from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

After he was called to Bar, Jauro worked with the Ministry of Justice in 1983. He was promoted as Director of Public Prosecution.

He served in various capacities before being appointed as a judge of the Gombe State Judiciary where he served till 2007.

In 2007, he was promoted to the Court of Appeal and served in Jos, Lagos, Yola, Ibadan and Port Harcourt.

In November 2020, he was elevated to the Supreme Court bench.