The Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, dismissed the suit challenging President Muhammadu Buhari from appointing 21 of the 33 persons penciled down as judges in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Justice Okon Abang, in his judgment, held that the plaintiff lacked locus standi to institute the case in view of the fact that they have not shown any special interest as to confer on them the locus to commence the suit against the respective parties.
The plaintiff, JRP Foundation Ltd/GTE, comprises about 15 Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
While President Buhari is the first defendant in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/602/2020, the NJC, the Judicial Service Committee of the FCT, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and the 21 nominees are the 2nd to 25th defendants respectively.
The plaintiff had asked the court to declare “that in its exercise of its constitutional duties to recommend suitable persons to the 2nd defendant as judges of High Court of FCT, Abuja, the 3rd defendant must only recommend such persons as have met the criteria and satisfied the conditions set out in the extant Guidelines and Procedural Rules for the appointment of judicial officers in Nigeria made by the 2nd defendant.
The plaintiff also urged the court to declare that the Judicial Service Committee of the FCT acted improperly, in bad faith and gross abuse of power vested in it when it submitted the nominations of these persons to the NJC for appointment as judges.The applicant asked the court to declare that in view of this, the affected persons cannot be appointed by the first defendant as judges.