Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the February 3 Senatorial Bye-election in Ebonyi South district, Silas Onu, has accused the National Judicial Council of marginalising Ebonyi State in appointment of judges into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
He stated this in a statement he issued on Wednesday in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State.
He was reacting to a recent call for applications issued by the NJC for the appointment of judges into the FCT High Court.
According to him, “the publication listed the States where applicants are expected from and to my greatest shock, Ebonyi State is once more deliberately not listed amongst the States where applications are expected from.”
“Today, as the FCT High Court is presently constituted, Ebonyi State is visibly not represented on that Bench – we have no single judge there,” he lamented.
“Is the federal character principle blind to the interest of Ebonyi indigenes or are we considered not to be good enough for the FCT Bench, he queried.
He further alleged that the publication listed states that already dominate the FCT High Court as if it has become the exclusive preserve of those states.
He therefore called on the Federal Judicial Service Commission and National Judicial Council to discontinue this unjust process and immediately include Ebonyi State as one of the focal States with a minimum of 3 slots to make up for its absence on the FCT Bench.
“I call on all well-meaning Nigerians, the Nigeria Bar Association to lend their voices towards correcting this obvious and deliberate act of excluding Ebonyi State from having even a single judge on the FCT Bench.”
“I make this call in good faith, expecting that the right thing will be done,” he added.
