The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun yesterday prescribed the solution to conflicting rulings by judges of courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
Speaking specifically about the Court of Appeal where panels have delivered conflicting judgments on the same issue, the CJN advocated conferences by the justices.
She said: ‘’The issue of conflicting decisions is one of great concern in our community at present time. And, one of the reasons that we have conflicting decisions is because many panels do not hold conferences to discuss all reserved judgments.
“It is strongly recommended that conferences be held. I cannot overemphasise this point. We are an appellate court for a reason, and the reason is that several heads are better than one.
“So, holding conferences, exchanging opinions and ideas on matters that come before us is extremely essential.
“We have presiding justice here. And if it has not been your practice, I want to appeal to you that you start making it a practice. It is a very, very essential tool in the work that we do.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) expressed displeasure over frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations against judges.
Although they advised judges to ‘’ignore distractions and attempts to compromise their independence,’’ they warned that those involved risked facing justice.
