The Nigerian judiciary is at a critical juncture as stakeholders urge incoming Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to spearhead a comprehensive reform.
The call comes as the judiciary faces criticism over its current state, including concerns about the National Judicial Council’s appointment process and the need for greater transparency.
Stakeholders are pushing for a thorough overhaul of the judiciary to restore public confidence.
They emphasize the need for merit-based selections in judicial appointments and addressing conflicting court judgments, orders, enhancing discipline and accountability within the judiciary is also seen as crucial.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of Tap Initiative, Mr Martin Obono, observed that the National Judicial Council, which oversees the appointment of judges has recently come under heavy criticism, especially with the outgoing CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, accused of appointing his family members and relatives as well as children and relatives of former justices into the bench.
While alleging that the Council disregarded its guidelines over recent appointments, Obono claimed that “there have been reports of insider subversion of the applicable rules governing judicial appointments, such as the reported appointments in one instance of a candidate who scored zero in the NJC interview”.
He urged the new CJN, “to commit explicitly to a policy of restoring integrity and merit to judicial appointments”, stating that achieving this would entail the introduction of transparent processes of selection, advertisement of judicial vacancies as well as in nomination of candidates, interviews, shortlisting and final selection.
The handling of election petitions and political cases has been a contentious issue, and stakeholders are calling for improvements. Additionally, there is a need to restructure the Supreme Court to focus on cases of national significance.
With Justice Kekere-Ekun set to assume office on Thursday, succeeding retiring CJN Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, the judiciary is under pressure to implement meaningful reforms. The incoming CJN faces a daunting task in restoring the judiciary’s reputation and ensuring it serves the nation effectively.
