The Supreme Court regained its full complement of 21 justices after the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, inaugurated Olubunmi Oyewole as a justice of the court on Wednesday.
Mr Oyewole replaces former CJN Olukayode Ariwoola, whose retirement in 2024 left the South-west region’s slot on the Supreme Court bench vacant. Mr Ariwoola’s exit reduced the court’s number of justices to 20.
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Swearing in Mr Oyewole at the Supreme Court complex in Abuja on Wednesday, Ms Kekere-Ekun reiterated the court’s unwavering commitment to strengthening public confidence in the administration of justice.
She said that although the court’s traditions are rich and its responsibilities weighty, its strength lies in disciplined scholarship, ethical fidelity, and collective wisdom.
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She urged Mr Oyewole to contribute meaningfully to the coherence of the court’s jurisprudence and the clarity of constitutional interpretation.
The CJN said, “Your elevation today reflects the confidence reposed in you by those institutions and, by extension, by the Nigerian people. The oaths Your Lordship has taken represent a covenant, binding in conscience and in law.
“It demands moral courage when decisions are unpopular, restraint when passions run high, and steadfastness when pressures, subtle or overt, seek to intrude upon judicial independence.
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“At this level of adjudication, scrutiny is intense and commentary often instantaneous. Your compass must remain fixed upon the constitution and the law.’’
She reminded the new apex court justice that he is called upon to decide according to law and conscience, free from fear, favour, affection, or ill-will.
“Where Your Lordship’s considered conviction differs from that of your brother justices, Your Lordship must have the courage to dissent with courtesy and precision.
“A principled dissent, expressed with intellectual honesty, is not a fracture of unity; it is often the seed of future doctrinal growth.’’
Supreme Court gets full complement
The CJN noted that with the elevation of Mr Oyewole, the court now stands at its full constitutional complement which is no small milestone.
“A full court enhances our capacity to sit in robust panels, to manage our docket more efficiently.
“It will ensure that the business of the nation’s apex court proceeds with renewed vigour and dispatch. It enriches intellectual diversity, and reinforces the stability of our jurisprudence.
“For a court whose pronouncements shape the legal destiny of the nation, numerical completeness is structurally significant to the effective discharge of our constitutional mandate.’’
She reiterated that judgments of the apex court do not speak only to the parties before it; they speak to generations yet unborn.
“The authority of this court rests not on force, but on the moral weight of its reasoning, the discipline of its processes and the integrity of men and women privileged to serve on its bench.
“At this level, the judicial function transcends the resolution of disputes.
“It demands stewardship, careful guardianship of precedent, principled development of the law, and unwavering allegiance to constitutional supremacy.
“A Justice of this court must possess the courage to affirm settled doctrine where stability demands it, and the wisdom to refine it where justice and constitutional fidelity so require.’’
Background
Mr Oyewole’s appointment follows his recommendation by the National Judicial Council (NJC) at its 110th meeting held in January and presided over by the CJN.
Subsequently, in January, Mr Tinubu wrote the Senate to screen Mr Oyewole and confirm his appointment.
On 3 February, the Senate confirmed the proposed appointment following the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, chaired by Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (APC, Ondo Central).
Mr Oyewole’s inauguration will restore the Supreme Court bench, currently with 20 justices including CJN Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to its full complement of 21 justices.
Mr Oyewole, who hails from Ila Orangun, Osun State, began his judicial career as a High Court judge in Lagos.
Incidentally, he was appointed to the Lagos State High Court bench by Mr Tinubu as then-governor of Lagos State on 24 May 2001.
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Reputed for judicial courage and high-level ethics and professionalism, Mr Oyewole, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal bench on 24 March 2014, has been in the limelight since his days as a High Court judge, handling sensitive, high-profile cases.
In 2005, he jailed Emmanuel Nwude, Nzeribe Okoli, and Amaka Anajemba for their roles in defrauding a Brazilian bank of $242 million.
The scam, considered to be one of the largest financial frauds globally at the time, was perpetrated under the guise of constructing a fictitious airport in Nigeria. The fraud led to the collapse of Banco Noroeste in 2001.
He also sentenced Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, widely known as Reverend King, to death by hanging at the on 11 January 2007, for the murder of church member Ann Uzoh and the attempted murders of others.
In October 2009, he sentenced Bode George, a stalwart of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to 30 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy, disobedience to lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
In January 2011, the Court of Appeal, affirmed the judgement considered to be courageous at the time. But the Supreme Court overturned the conviction and sentence in December 2013.
(NAN)
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