"Uphold Rule of Law": Lawyer Reacts as Senate Confirms Appointment of 11 Supreme Court Justices
- Barrister Yusuf Nurudeen has advised the Supreme Court of Nigeria to “do more than just applying the law"
- Nurudeen’s counsel comes against the backdrop of the country’s Senate confirming the appointment of 11 Supreme Court justices
- Speaking in an interview with Legit.ng, Nurudeen said the law in Nigeria should be the same for everyone, regardless of social status
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9-year-experience covering public journalism and legal issues
FCT, Abuja - The emergence of the new 11 Supreme Court’s justices is coming at a time when Nigeria needs to "shore up the integrity of the judiciary", a Lagos-based lawyer, Yusuf Nurudeen, has said.
Nurudeen, in an interview with Legit.ng stressed that the Supreme Court is not just a court of law, but also a court of public policy and “a court on whose continued existence of the country is rested upon”.
'Supreme Court must always uphold rule of law'
The legal practitioner cited the apex court’s intervention in the Naira redesign controversy of 2023, and asserted that the court “put an end to what could have led to the loss of more lives in Nigeria”.
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He said:
“The appointment of the Supreme Court’s justices (11 of them) comes at a time when there is a decline in the trust that the citizens have in the judiciary, particularly in view of the inconsistent decisions of the Supreme Court with respect to election matters in Nigeria. A case in point was the case of the former senate president of Nigeria (Ahmad Lawan), and other decisions recently.”
Continuing, the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development founder said:
“I’d advise the justices to apply the law holistically. The law should not be different for diverse Nigerians. They should uphold the tenets of the rule of law and they should be fair in their hearings.”
On the personality of the legal luminaries elevated to Supreme Court justices, Nurudeen stated that some of them are credible practitioners.
He said:
“There are some ‘fresh blood’ among them, so we are expecting to see a radical consistent application of our law as it is.
“We want a situation whereby the law will be applicable to everybody no matter whose ox is gored and make sure that the Supreme Court plays a spectacular role to see how other branches of the judiciary can be put on their feet.”
Senate confirms appointment of Supreme Court justices
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Senate confirmed the appointment of 11 justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The confirmation followed the adoption of a report by the Senate committee on judiciary, human rights, and legal matters.
NJC okays appointment of new justices
Legit.ng also reported that the National Judicial Council (NJC) approved the appointment of 11 justices of the Court of Appeal for elevation to the Supreme Court.
NJC's director of information, Soji Oye, said the swearing-in of all recommended candidates to the Supreme Court bench will take place after President Bola Tinubu approves their recommendation and the Senate confirms their appointment.
New justices: Tinubu writes senate
Meanwhile, President Tinubu forwarded the names of 11 justices to the Senate to be considered and confirmed as justices of the Supreme Court.
Tinubu’s letter of request was read at plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
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Source: Legit.ng