Supreme Court to Deliver Verdict on Atiku and Obi’s Presidential Election Appeals Against Tinubu
Today marks the culmination of the legal battle surrounding the presidential election held on February 25, as a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court prepares to issue a ruling on the appeals of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi, contesting the election victory of President Bola Tinubu.
The Judgment Day
The Supreme Court officially communicated the judgment date to all concerned parties through a notice issued by one of its Registrars.
The seven justices tasked with making this historic decision today are Inyang Okoro, Uwani Abba-Aji, Lawal Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Abubakar Tijjani, and Emmanuel Akomaye Agim.
Profiles of Supreme Court Justices
**Justice John Okoro**
Justice John Okoro, the head of the panel, was born on July 11, 1959, in Nung Ukim, Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. He attended Methodist School, Nung Ukim from 1965-1972, Boys High School, Oron from 1973-1977, School of Arts & Science, Uyo from 1979-1981, and the University of Lagos from 1981-1984. He then attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985. Justice Okoro began his legal career as Magistrate Grade II in 1986, eventually rising to the position of Chief Magistrate Grade I in 1996. He later served as a Judge of the High Court of Akwa Ibom State from 1998-2006 and was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2006. He has served on various tribunals and has participated in numerous seminars, workshops, and conferences. Justice Okoro was elevated to the Supreme Court on November 15, 2013, and is currently the fourth most senior justice of the court.
**Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji**
Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji is the most senior female jurist on the Supreme Court bench and the only woman on the panel. She was born on November 7, 1956, in Gashua, Yobe State. Her educational journey took her through Central Primary School in Gashua and Government Girls Secondary School in Maiduguri. She earned a Diploma in Law from Ahmadu Bello University, followed by an L.L.B (Hons) from the same institution in 1980. Justice Abba-Aji was called to the Bar in 1981 and began her career as a State Counsel in 1982. She held various positions within the judicial system, rising through the ranks to become the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal Kaduna Division before her elevation to the Supreme Court on January 8, 2019.
**Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba**
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba was born on November 16, 1958, in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State. He received his education in various institutions, including Demonstration Primary School in Maru, Government Secondary School in Gusau, and Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. He obtained a Bachelor of Law degree from A.B.U, Zaria in 1980 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1981. Justice Garba’s career started as a Magistrate in the Sokoto State Judiciary, and he later served as Deputy Chief Registrar in the High Court of Justice, Sokoto State, and Solicitor-General/Director-General of the Ministry of Justice, Sokoto State. He became a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Sokoto State, and later the Chief Judge of the High Court of Justice, Zamfara State. In 2004, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal and served in various divisions. He is a member of several legal bodies and was elevated to the Supreme Court on November 6, 2020.
**Justice Ibrahim Saulawa**
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa was born on September 29, 1956, in Katsina, Katsina State. He attended primary and secondary schools in Katsina and later studied Law at Bayero University Kano. After his LLB, he was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982. He began his career with the Ministry of Justice, Kaduna State, and held various positions, including Pupil State Counsel and Secretary of the Law Officers (Attorneys-General) Committee of the 10 Northern States. Justice Saulawa also served as a visiting lecturer at Katsina Polytechnic. He later became a Magistrate Grade II in the Kaduna State Judiciary and held various positions within the judiciary. He was elevated to the Court of Appeal on June 10, 2006, and served in different divisions. Justice Saulawa was elevated to the Supreme Court on November 10, 2020.
**Justice Adamu Jauro**
Justice Adamu Jauro was born on June 26, 1959, and hails from Gombe State. He obtained his LLB at the University of Calabar and later earned a master’s degree in Law from the University of Jos. He began his career as a State Counsel in 1982 and served in various capacities before becoming a judge of the Gombe State Judiciary in 1991. He was later promoted to the Court of Appeal and served in several divisions. Justice Jauro was elevated to the Supreme Court bench in November 2020.
**Justice Tijjani Abubakar**
Justice Tijjani Abubakar, a native of Base Local Government Area in Yobe State, was born on April 15, 1960. He attended Gashua Central Primary School and Government Secondary School, Gashua. Afterward, he pursued his education at the University of Maiduguri, where he studied Law and graduated in 1982. He was called to the Bar in 1983 and served in various legal positions, including Attorney General, Permanent Secretary, and Commissioner for Justice of Yobe State. He also had a private law practice and later became a judge of the Federal High Court. In 2012, he was appointed as a Justice of the Court of Appeal. He was serving in the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal when he was elevated to the Supreme Court bench in 2020.
**Justice Emmanuel Agim**
Justice Emmanuel Agim was born on April
26, 1960, in Obudu, Cross Rivers State. He earned his LLB at the University of Calabar and later obtained a BL from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. He also holds an LLM from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. Justice Agim served as President of the Court of Appeal of The Gambia and later as Chief Justice of The Gambia. He became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Swaziland in 2012 and was sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria in 2012. In October 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Notably, Justice Agim and Justice Jauro gave dissenting judgments in a high-profile case involving former Senate President Ahmed Lawan.
