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It Is Dangerous For Litigants To Chose Judges To Adjudicate On Their Matters – Justice Idris

nigerian judges“If all judges are to excuse themselves from cases simply because litigants criticized their rulings and judgments, the judiciary would soon find itself in a situation where litigants chose the judges to adjudicate on their matters and this is not in the interest of the law.”
This was the verdict as delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in a case between Ecobank and Honeywell.
Counsel to Ecobank, Mr. Kunle Ogunba (SAN), had applied to the Judge to either excuse himself from adjudicating on the matter or await the decision of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, in respect of Ecobank’s petition against Justice Idris.
As reported in the media, Ecobank wrote to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court asking that the matter between it and Honeywell be withdrawn from Justice Idris, citing a lack of confidence and bias against Justice Idris.
In response, counsel to Honeywell, Bode Olanipekun informed the court that he only became aware of the petition written by Ecobank in the media on November 16, 2016.
In his ruling against the request by the Ecobank counsel when the case came up for trial, Justice Idris assured the parties that he would exercise fairness and impartiality in the discharge of justice in the matter.
The judge adjourned the case to December 1, for trial. [myad]

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