As the 2023 general election cases enter a critical stage, there are concerns about the efficiency of the remaining justices at the Supreme Court as Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad shortly retires.
According to reports, Justice Dattijo Muhammad will retire on Friday, October 27, 2023 having attained 70 – the age benchmark for judges to retire in Nigeria.
His exit from the bench will further deplete the number of justices in the Supreme Court.
It would be recalled that a few weeks ago, the bench was reduced from 12 to 11 following the exit of Justice Amina Augie, who retired after she clocked 70.
Justice Muhammad will be leaving the bench at a crucial time when hearings for appeals in the presidential and gubernatorial elections have commenced this week starting today, Monday, October 23, 2023.
According to a statement by the Director of Media and Information of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the farewell hearing on the retirement of Justice Musa Dattijo is scheduled to take place at the Supreme Court of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on October 27, 2023 at 10:00am.
President of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwuola, will preside over this special court session and will be felicitated along with other prominent legal personalities in the country.
Datijo, a native of Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, was born on October 27, 1953 in Minna. He completed his first Leaving Certificate at the local primary school in Minna between 1960 and 1966.
From 1967 to 1971, he attended Sheikh Sabbah College (now Sardauna Memorial High School) in Kaduna.
He then attended the Pre-Diploma Program at Abdullahi Bayero College, Kano, before being admitted directly to the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained his law degree in 1977.
According to the statement, Justice Muhammad’s promotion to the Court of Appeal was a testament to his hard work, deep devotion to his chosen profession, devotion to duty and, above all, his steadfast adherence to the law in all matters presented before him.
“He earned a well-deserved elevation to the Court of Appeal on November 21, 1998, from the Niger State Judiciary, and served with distinction in various Divisions. With the retirement of Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, the Supreme Court of Nigeria now comprises 10 Justices.”
Today, on October 23, proceedings commenced for three appeals contesting the affirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s election.
These appeals involve the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi; and the Allied People’s Movement (APM).
A panel of seven of the 10 judges will hold hearings on three separate appeals and are given less than a month to reach a decision.
Although the law sets a 60-day deadline for the Supreme Court to review and decide appeals in electoral matters, it is worth noting that more than 30 days have passed since the appeal was filed on September 18.
The top court is also expected to create more panels to hear gubernatorial appeals from lower courts and pre-election appeals arising from off-season elections.
