A report that crisis seems to be brewing in the newly constituted Supreme Court Presidential Election Petition Panel as three more judges, Justices Musa Dattijo Muhammad, I.N. Saulawa and Helen M. Ogunwumiju have recused themselves from the appointment.
Initially, the list of seven members of the panel to sit on the appeals filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Mr Peter Gregory Obi, include Justices Musa Dattijo Muhammad, Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Lawal Garba, Helen M. Ogunwumiju, I.N. Saulawa, Tijjani Abubakar and Emmanuel Agim,
However, Justice Dattijo has reportedly recused himself on the pretext that he is retiring on Monday next week.
Justice Saulawa followed suit and pulled himself from the panel for some undisclosed reasons, while Justice Ogunwunmiju also recused herself for reasons best known to her.
With the latest development, it means that five out the eleven Justices in the Supreme Court of Nigeria have pulled out or recused themselves.
The five Justices are as follows:
- Ariwola,
- Kekere Ekun,
- Saulawa,
- Ogunwunmiju, and,
- Datijo.
Meanwhile, according to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as ammended), seven Justices are needed for the PEPT appeal.
Consequently, according to information obtained by News Band from a source who pleaded anonymity, the Supreme Court Justices Panel for the PEPT appeal will be reconstituted tomorrow.
In the meantime, a source close to the apex body of the country’s judiciary have suspected that something may be after all be fishy and seriously haunting and scaring the highest body of legal luminaries.
He lamented that it may not be unconnected to rumours that the chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), Justice Haruna Tsammani is currently on wheelchair and is suffering from enlarged prostrate.
According to rumours, Justice Tsammani returned from Paris unable to fix the enlarged prostrate, is presently in a wheelchair and cannot walk.
The source advised that those that agreed to serve should look inwards and outward to rescue the nation’s image as the most populous black country and the giant of Africa.
