National Assembly will Support Appointment of Supreme Court Justices, Says Akpabio

*NJC: We’re not aware of list of 22 justices for the apex courtAlex Enumah in Abuja

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has disclosed that the National Assembly is ready to do everything within its powers to support the appointment of justices to the bench of the Supreme Court.

This is coming as the National Judicial Council (NJC) has said that it is not aware of the shortlist of 22 justices made by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) for the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Akpabio, who reiterated the commitment of the federal lawmakers towards the speedy dispensation of justice, expressed concern about the excruciating working conditions of justices of the apex court.

Speaking at the All-Nigeria Judges’ Conference of Superior Courts, which was held in Abuja, Akpabio said the National Assembly would do everything in its power to support the appointment of justices to the apex court.
He said: “Our judicial officers are often burdened to resolve conflicts of monumental dimensions and yet, my Lords still struggle with mundane and trivial survival needs and work tools. This is a situation that is now exacerbated by the challenging economy that this administration is battling with and which we are working very hard to improve upon.

“The legislature is determined to improve the judiciary through very intentional appropriations and we are going to work closely on this.
“We are aware that the number of Justices on the bench of the Supreme Court has dropped drastically below the constitutional requirement. It is a matter of national interest that we immediately initiate the due process of law to address the shortfall at the apex court. In this way, the legislature is ready to play its role,” Akpabio said.

While observing that the judiciary and the legislature share a unique relationship, Akpabio disclosed that the lawmakers always seek to identify ways in which parliament can help the judiciary to remain strong, productive, and independent for the benefit of Nigeria.
To this end, he stated that stringent resource allocation, transparent and merit-based appointments, and removals are some of the measures that the legislature will entrench to assist the justice sector in regaining its glory.
The issue of the appointment of justices to fill vacant positions at the apex court has dominated legal and public discourse for some time now, owing to the continued depletion of the bench in recent times.

Currently, the Supreme Court has only 10 justices short of its full complement of 21, owing to retirements and deaths in the last two years.
Barely three years ago, the bench boasted of 20 justices, which cascaded a few months later with the retirement of justices who had attained the mandatory retirement age of 70 years, while about three justices were snatched by the cold hands of death before their retirement.
Both members of the bar and bench have on several occasions acknowledged the extra burden the depletion has brought on the remaining justices, especially in an election year like this when nearly all pre-election and post-election matters reach the apex court.

With the 10 justices currently on the bench of the apex court, the Supreme Court can barely form two panels of five justices each to hear appeals emanating from the lower court and cannot form two panels of seven justices in a constitutional appeal.
Meanwhile, the NJC has said that it is not aware of the shortlist of 22 justices made by the FJSC for the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, contrary to the reports which claimed that the judicial body had received the list.

The FJSC had reportedly sent a list of 22 justices from the Court of Appeal for consideration by the NJC for elevation to the apex court.
But NJC’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, said that the nomination had not been brought to his knowledge.
The FJSC list, released on Thursday, showed a regional distribution of nominees, with North-central and South-east each having six nominees, and North-east, South-west, and South-south each having two nominees, while North-west has four nominees.

This announcement followed the disclosure in September 2023 that the Supreme Court’s justices had diminished to 10 as against the 21 stipulated by the Constitution.