A Federal High Court on Monday ordered an accelerated hearing in suit filed by Alaigbo Development Foundation, (ADF) against the National Judicial Council (NJC), the President of the Court of Appeal and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), over alleged injustice in the recent appointment of some justices to the Court of Appeal.
Justice Inyang Ekwo who made the order also directed that all processes relating to the suit should be served on the NJC, the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) and the AGF, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as they were not represented in court at the proceeding on Monday.
The judge also directed the Deputy Registrar of the court to issue hearing notices on all parties before the adjourned date fixed for 8, April 2021.
Justice Ekwo said after going through the processes before him, he was satisfied that the matter is the type that should be heard speedily.
He accordingly ordered an abridgement of time and ordered the defendants to file their responses to the suit within five days upon receipt of service.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/347/2021, the plaintiff through their counsel, Chief Max Ozoaka decried the imbalance, lopsided distribution of federal amenities, offices and marginalisation of Nd’Igbo in Nigeria.
It is the contention of the group that “Nd’Igbo should no longer continue to fold their hands while things that are rightfully and legitimately due to them are taken away and given to other zones.
“In the on-going exercise for the appointment of Justices of the Court of Appeal, the South-East Zone is rightfully entitled to three slots in direct replacement of the three vacancies in that Court arising since 2020, from the retirement and death respectively of two Justices of the Court, from the zone and the earlier elevation to the Supreme Court of one Justice from the zone.
“It is regrettable that rather than directly replace/fill these three vacancies with candidates from the South-East, as is the norm and practice in the Court, the South-East was allocated just one slot while their other two slots are given to other zones. This is against the spirit and intent of the constitutional provisions of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.”
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