The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, on Monday, in Abuja, said governorship election petitions should ordinarily terminate at the Court of Appeal.
She added that the constitutional amendment that allows for appeals to berth at the Supreme Court is causing distraction.
She made this known when the National Conference committee on judiciary paid a courtesy visit to her and also to seek her views on some areas that needed to be amended in the constitution for speedy adjudication of cases in the courts.
The 25-member committee was led by its vice-chairman, Professor Awwalu Yadudu.
Its chairman, former justice of the Supreme Court was absent.
Professor Yadudu, who spoke on behalf of the committee, told the CJN that they resolved last week to seek her views on some provisions they felt ought to be amended in the 1999 Constitution.
But Justice Mukhtar said that the immediate past CJN, Justice Musdapher, had set up stakeholders committee when the National Assembly called for a memorandum for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
A member of the committee, Mr Mike Ozokhome, asked the CJN to comment on voluntary and compulsory retirement ages of 65 and 70 years respectively for judicial officers in the constitution, to which she said were in order in view of the peculiar characteristics of Nigerians.
“If you shift the voluntary retirement age to 70 and put compulsory retirement age at 75, so many Nigerians will prefer to sit tight, saying they can manage even if their health begin to fail them at the age of 70.
Many of us are highly dishonest and can never admit the fact that they are no longer capable, otherwise there are many judges that are still vibrant at the age of 70,” he said.
Source: Tribune
