S/East senators, reps protest marginalisation in Appeal Court nominations

Bola Baddmus, Abuja - 08.06.2009

South East caucus in the National Assembly has protested the non- inclusion of judges from the zone among the 11 nominated for elevation by the Federal Government as judges of the Court of Appeal.

The caucus, consisted of senators and House of Representatives members from the zone, met at the weekend in Abuja to show their displeasure and vowed to resist the marginalisation through every legitimate means possible.

The group observed that before the recent nomination, out of 62 serving judges of the appellate court, only eight were from the South- East zone.

It said the recent nomination showed that North-West had the highest number with three judges, while North-East, North- Central, South- West and South- South had two nominees each and living the South- East with none.

A member of the caucus, Honourable CID Maduabum, described the arrangement as offensive to the principle of Federal Character as enshrined in Section 14 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to the lawmaker representing Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency of Anambra State in the House of Representatives, the caucus had no grouse with the qualifications and experiences of the nominees but insisted that “there are also qualified and experienced judges in the South- East zone of the country who ought to have made the list for the sake of equity.”

“I am not quarrelling with the qualification of those being nominated but only saying that there are equally very qualified and experienced judges of the state and federal high courts from the South- East that could be elevated,” he argued.

Maduabum disclosed that the latest nomination had increased the number of judges from the North- West zone at the appellate court to 16; North- East 14; North- Central 12; South-West 14 and South-South 10.