The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, asked the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, to immediately halt the recruitment process to fill the 12 vacancies on the bench of the court. The resolution followed a motion by Igariwey Enwo, who raised concerns about alleged non-compliance with the Federal Character principle and quota system in the recruitment process. Following the motion, the House directed its committees on the FCT Judiciary and Judiciary to investigate the issue. “Cognizant that under the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (Number of Judges) Act 2003, the principle of Federal character of Nigeria, shall be applied in the appointment of judges of the court; implying that the number of judges of the FCT High court must always reflect the 36 states and the FCT. “Four states, namely: Ebonyi, Abia, Imo and Bayelsa, do not have a single indigene from their states appointed and sitting in the FCT High Court system.

Source: Punch February 14, 2024 06:29 UTC