On Tuesday, March 25, the House of Representatives passed a bill for second reading aimed at amending the Constitution to empower the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to handle petitions against corrupt judicial officers and consider their defenses.
Titled “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Presumed Resignation from Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justices, and Judges of Certain Courts in Nigeria, and for Related Matters,” the bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria by introducing provisions for the removal of corrupt judges and justices from their positions.
The proposed legislation was sponsored by Afam Ogene, the lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency in Anambra State. It proposes a new subsection 6 to sections 231, 238, 250, 256, and 271 of the 1999 Constitution, aiming to allow the removal from office of any corrupt judicial officer, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the President and Justices of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Judge and Judges of the Federal High Court, and the Chief Judge and Judges of both the Federal Capital Territory and State High Courts.
According to the draft of the proposed law, “The bill grants the NBA the power to receive petitions against any erring judicial officer, review the defense of the officer, and, if unsatisfied, conduct a vote of confidence over the officer.”
The bill further states, “If two-thirds of NBA members in its Annual General Meeting or Conference pass a vote of no confidence in the petitioned officer, the officer’s continuation in office is effectively terminated. This termination means the judicial officer is legally presumed to have resigned from service.”
