By Ali Elias
According to Sahara Reporters, Eberechi Suzette Wike, wife of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has been named on the final list of the Court of Appeal judges. The President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice M.B. Dongban-Mensem, requested the appointment of 22 new Justices, which includes Eberechi Suzette Wike. Justice Wike is from the Rivers Judicial Council and was one of the nominees sent to the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
In May, SaharaReporters reported that the National Judicial Council (NJC), during its 105th plenary meeting on May 15 and 16, 2024, approved the appointment of 86 Judicial Officers for Federal and State courts. The council, after reviewing the recommendations of its Interview Committee, decided to recommend these officers for the Court of Appeal, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal, and Customary Courts of Appeal across Nigeria.
The recommended candidates are expected to be sworn in after the President and respective state governors approve the NJC’s recommendations. Eberechi Suzette Wike, whose husband is the immediate former Governor of Rivers State, is among the candidates.
Alongside Wike’s wife, the following judges also made the list: Polycarp Tema Kwahar (Benue), Ruqayat Ayoola (Kogi), Eneche Eleojo (Kogi), Asmara Akanbi Yusuf (Kwara), Abdullahi Muhammad Liman (Nasarawa), Abdu Dogo (FCT), and Fadahu Umaru (Borno). Others include Ishaq Mohammed Sani (Kaduna), Zainab Bage Abubakar (Kebbi), Abdulaziz M. Ankara (Zamfara), Nnamdi Okwy Dimga Victoria (Abia), Toochukwu Nwoye (Anambra), Henry Aja-Onu Njoku (Ebonyi), Donatus Uwaezuoke Okorowo (Enugu), Ngozika N Okaisabor (Imo), Ntong Festus Ntong (Akwa-Ibom), Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi (Edo), Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo (Lagos), Abiodun Azeem Akinyemi (Ogun), Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola (Oyo), and Bayo Ademola Taiwo (Oyo).
The Federal Judicial Service Commission had earlier advised the NJC to prioritize the nomination of Wike’s wife and the other 21 judges for the Court of Appeal. This recommendation was overseen by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, head of both the FJSC and NJC.
In 2022, Ariwoola attended a dinner in his honor in Port Harcourt, hosted by the Rivers State Government under then-Governor Wike.