We have a Yoruba judge from the Southwest on the Tribunal Panel, but no Igbo judge from the Southeast – Jimi Disu

Jimi Disu, a veteran journalist and public affairs commentator, criticized the Judiciary for not including any judge from the Southeastern region of Nigeria in the five-man panel of Appeal Court Judges that will preside over the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. Disu expressed his disappointment during an interview on Nigeria Info FM on Tuesday morning while reviewing the profile of the court justices.  Continue Reading

According to Disu, the absence of an Igbo judge in the panel is a matter of balance, especially since one of the candidates involved in the court proceedings is from the southeast. He argued that having a judge from the region would have made sense and ensured that the panel is diverse and inclusive.

Disu’s comments have sparked a debate on social media, with many Nigerians expressing their views on the matter. Some have criticized the Judiciary for not being sensitive to the need for balance and diversity, while others have defended the panel, stating that the judges were appointed based on their merit and not their ethnicity.  Continue Reading

Despite the criticisms, the five-man panel of Appeal Court Judges will continue to preside over the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal for the next 180 days or less. The panel is expected to deliver a fair and just judgment on the case, regardless of the ethnic background of the judges.

According to him:

“We honestly need to be careful as a country. I would have thought that since one of the major petitioners is from the Southeast, efforts would have been made to have a judge of Igbo extraction on that panel. We can’t run away from how we are wired to think as a country and I am glad that someone has raised this issue on social media. There is a Yoruba woman on the panel and the President-elect is from the Southwest. Is there no judge from the East in the Court of Appeal?

“These are the little nuances that should have been taken care of and I hope that it will be rectified. If not, it could send a very wrong signal. You can’t run away from the matter of ethnicity on issues like this. Yes, it is good for us to insist that things are done on merit but one man’s merit, is another man’s demerit. So, to take care of all interests, I think an Igbo judge should have been included in that panel. I hope it will be done. If we can have a judge from Kogi, around the same region with the PDP candidate on that panel, then why not the Southeast?”

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