The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachua has denied reports that names of ten dead Judges featured in the list of the 250 Judges sworn-in last Saturday as Chairmen and Members of the Election Petition Tribunal.
A statement by the Media officer of the Court of Appeal, Mrs Sa’adatu Musa Kachalla said, there was no name of a dead or retired Judge on the list sent to the Supreme Court for the swearing-in ceremony performed by the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed.
The statement said, the malicious publication making the rounds in some news portals is not true and should be discountenanced.
“The Court of Appeal, therefore, finds this claim to be false, misleading and a total misrepresentation of the good intentions of the Hon. President aimed at building not only a vibrant judiciary but an endearing democratic society”, the statement reads in part.
She said, the Court of Appeal President had painstakingly, through the efforts of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Chief Judges of the 36 states selected members of the election petition tribunals and that, they are men and women of proven integrity.
The statement reads, “The Court of Appeal, therefore, craves the indulgence of the members of the public to disregard this fake news in its entirety”.
Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed, who was appointed acting CJN by President Muhammadu Buhari, after the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen, swore in 250 Judges to handle petitions that may arise from the 2019 general elections on Saturday, a day after his appointment as acting CJN.