Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), on Monday proffered a possible solution to resolve contradictory rulings handed down by judges in courts.
Justice Kekere-Ekun pushed for judges to hold conferences, referring specifically to the Court of Appeal, where panels had issued conflicting judgements on the same matter.
She expressed her opinion at the 2024 Justices of the Court of Appeal’s annual conference in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
“The issue of conflicting decisions is one of great concern in our community at present time. And, one of the reasons that we have conflicting decisions is because many panels do not hold conferences to discuss all reserved judgments,” she said.
Adding, “It is strongly recommended that conferences be held. I cannot overemphasize this point. We are an appellate court for a reason, and the reason is that several heads are better than one.
“So, holding conferences, exchanging opinions and ideas on matters that come before us is extremely essential.
“We have presiding justice here. And if it has not been your practice, I want to appeal to you that you start making it a practice. It is a very, very essential tool in the work that we do.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) expressed displeasure over frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations against judges.
Although they advised judges to “ignore distractions and attempts to compromise their independence,’’ they warned that those involved risked facing justice.
Former AGF Kanu Agabi (SAN) and the Chairman of Body of Benchers (BOB), Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) also flayed “the undue denigration of the judiciary.”
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike said that he was ready to make sacrifices to see that the judiciary functioned effectively.
