A suit filed by seven senior advocates of Nigeria against the National Judicial Council (NJC) and others regarding the alleged unlawful appointment of judges in Kogi has been dismissed by a Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice James Omotosho ruled that the plaintiffs lacked the standing to bring the action and that the suit itself was without merit.
The seven aggrieved lawyers, who are also from Kogi, include Yunus Usman, Jibrin Okutepa, Patrick Okolo, Abdullahi Haruna, Reuben Atabo, Shaibu Aruwa, and Johnson Usman. They had sued the NJC, Kogi State Judicial Service Commission (KSJSC), Governor of Kogi, and Attorney-General (A-G) and Commissioner for Justice in the state as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
The plaintiffs sought to restrain the defendants from appointing new judicial officers until strict compliance with the law was ensured. They alleged that the selection of candidates for judgeship was not based entirely on merit, competence, or fairness, but influenced by political and ethnic factors, contrary to NJC guidelines and the constitution.
Justice Omotosho, in his judgment, emphasized that the plaintiffs, as senior legal practitioners, were not interested in becoming judges in Kogi State. He stated that the suit lacked a tangible connection between the defendants' actions and any rights of the plaintiffs, rendering it an academic exercise without substance.
