Why Gombe does not have a substantive Chief Judge
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Gombe state commissioner for Justice, and Attorney General of the state, Zubair Umar has debunked insinuations that Justice Beatrice Iliya was not recommended for confirmation by governor Inuwa Yahaya because she is a woman.
Umar also stated that the governor, has a track record of women inclusion in his government, adding that Gombe is the only state in northern Nigeria with women duly elected in the council and a woman as local government chairperson.
The commissioner disclosed this on Wednesday, in an interview with news men in Gombe, where he added that religion is far from been the reason.
According to Umar, “there are petitions before the National Judicial Council and it was brought to the attention of Judicial Service Commission in Gombe state and we have responded to each and every allegations.
“You can’t accuse this government of being gender insensitive in the sense that she was not recommended for appointment, because she is a woman. The first chief judge of Gombe state was a woman. So the issue of gender will not even come up.
“If you look at the composition of the cabinet, this current cabinet has more number of women than any cabinet before and this is the only time in Gombe state where a woman has been elected as the chairperson or chairman and this is the only time in the history of Gombe state. I dare say, in the history of the North that for every local government, there is a woman as a councillor and I can beat my chest that in the whole of Nigeria. There is no state in Nigeria that you will say every LGA has a woman as councillor.”
Umar added that the religion is far from being the cause of her non conferment, stressing that Gombe is an heterogeneous society.
“I don’t want to bring religion into it but is not the same state that we had a Christian as chief judge for about 21 years out of less than 30 years the state has been in creation and no body ever complained. So the issue of religion does not even come up at all. Yes she is the most senior, but no law says only the most senior should be appointed. If the governor wishes to appoint a lawyer who has been ten years experience at the bar that is the minimum qualification, who doesn’t have to be a judicial officer, the governor can go and pick any body. The issue of seniority comes up when there is vacancy and the need to fill it on acting appointment; that is why the law says the most senior should act as chief judge pending the time a substantive chief judge is appointed,” the Attorney General said.
While commenting on the prolonged acting capacity of Justice Pindiga, and alleged corruption, Umar added “it is because of the petitions, and the NJC would always defer that until we resolve these petitions we are not going to confirm anyone as substantive chief judge. The NJC has always been stopping the appointment. At the time Hon. Justice Beatrice Illiya was acting chief judge, if she had formally requested for extension of her acting appointment. It would have been granted by the governor.
“The law says someone acting as chief judge his tenure could be extended by the governor on the recommendation of the NJC and if the person is not recommended for further acting appointment automatically after three month it elapses and he would not be reappointed again. When her tenure elapsed after three month there was no application either before the governor or NJC for extension of her acting appointment and the second most senior happened to be Justice Pindiga. The moment he began when the acting appointment was about to elapse Judicial Service Commission (JSC) recommended that the governor should seek for his extension of his acting appointment. At every given time there is a recommendation for extension from JSC unlike Justice Beatrice, who didn’t ask and nobody asked on her behalf. Justice Pindiga was investigated on those allegations but the National Judicial Council absolved him; he was found not guilty of the allegation for in the eyes of the law he is without blemish and there is no such allegations before the governor.”
