The National Judicial Council (NJC) has put on hold the process of appointment of judges and Khadis for the Kogi State Judiciary.
The decision followed a letter written to the council by some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), intimating it on a suit instituted against the purported appointment by Governor Yahaya Bello.
The SANs, including Jibrin Okutepa and Yunus Usman, had in a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, stated that the list of appointed judges and khadis was done with ethnic and political interference.
They alleged that Bello’s wife, Amina, proposed as a high court judge neither had experience as a magistrate judge nor met other requirements.
In the letter to Okutepa, a copy which was obtained by newsmen on Wednesday, the secretary of the council, Ahmed Saleh stated that once an appointment was subject to litigation, the council suspended such appointment.
The letter marked Ref. No. NJC/KOG.HC/22/11/418, read, “I write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 10th January 2024 on the above subject matter and to inform you that the National. Judicial Council, being the apex body in the judiciary, understands that respecting the authority of the court is not only a legal obligation but also a fundamental aspect of maintaining a fair and just legal system.
“As such, the NJC has always been at the forefront of advocating for respect for the rule of law. Thus, I wish to inform you that once a suit is instituted against any appointment process, the council does put on hold the process, pending the determination of the matter.
“Consequently, the NJC has put on hold the process of appointment of judges and khadis for the Kogi State judiciary, please”.
The spokesperson of the council, Adesoji Oye, did not pick up calls to his lines and had yet to respond to a message sent to him on the matter as of press time.
