The Bauchi State Judiciary has replied the State House of Assembly that it cannot reverse its recent promotion of 18 Sharia judges to Upper Sharia judges.
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A member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, representing Dambam/Dagauda/Jalam Constituency, Baballe Dambam, had raised the matter on the floor of the Assembly during the week under matters of urgent public importance, praying that the House should halt the “lopsided appointment of judges of upper courts in the State Ministry of Justice.”
But reacting to the allegations, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, Emmanuel Sublim, told journalists on Friday in his office that the lawmaker got it wrong to have joined the Ministry of Justice –an executive arm of government, with the judiciary arm.
Sublim said, “The seamless and unfair accusations that trail the promotions seem to connote that this modest exercise of promotion was irregular and lopsided.
“We are not here to join issues with anybody but rather we are here to explain to undiscerning minds that the appointment of judges unlike other appointments is an exercise that is highly sensitive and regulated by the National Judicial Policy, Judicial Appointments Guidelines and Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, every aspect of judicial appointment process should be such as would command public respect and confidence that the best persons in terms of skill, learning, integrity and courage are appointed as judicial officers.
“It is a basic and fundamental aspect of the Judicial Policy that the judicial appointments process must be transparent and merit-based. Indeed the yardstick for appointment in terms of skill, competence, Integrity and comportment shall not be compromised and shall be strictly observed.”
“The Ministry of Justice is a legal department of the Executive just like any other Ministry. The Ministry of Justice has no supervisory role whatsoever over the Judiciary as that has never been envisaged by our Constitution.
“It, therefore, goes without saying that the Ministry of Justice does not have power to recruit or appoint judges for the State Judiciary,” he added.
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