Adamawa Assembly rejects Chief Judge nominee

Justice Ishaya Banu who is the most senior judge in Adamawa judiciary was rejected by the House through a voice vote at its plenary session yesterday following a heated debate on the matter.
Those against the confirmation of Banu capitalized on a document attached to the governor’s letter in which Banu was said to have been at one time queried by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for lack of productivity. They argued that seniority should not be considered above productivity in public office. Law makers supporting the nomination argued that the NJC must have found him capable of the task before recommending him for appointment and that seniority be respected.
Nyako had earlier on submitted the name of the current Chief Justice, Justice Nathan Musa, which the NJC rejected and asked for the name of most senior high court judge to be forwarded instead, a development which left the governor with no option than to appoint Justice Banu.
Nyako, in a letter to the Assembly said: “In my bid to get the best for the judiciary, I appointed three most senior judges as Acting Chief Judge in order to determine the one most appropriate. The Adamawa Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had studied them and gave reasons for preferring one judge over the others namely Hon. Justice Nathan Musa. The NJC on the other hand has viewed the matter on the basis of seniority alone. My attention has been drawn to the fact that Hon. Justice Ishaya Banu’s low performance with declining productivity as a judge is before an NJC Committee on Judges.”