Appeal Court Judge Slumps, Passes Away During Promotion to Supreme Court

A federal appeal judge has passed away while undergoing the process of being promoted to the Supreme Court, according to information obtained by Peoples Gazette.

Sources within the judiciary informed Peoples Gazette that Justice Joseph Shagbaor Ikyegh died on Wednesday evening in his hometown of Makurdi. He was 65 years old.

Prior to his passing, Justice Ikyegh served as the president of the Port Harcourt division, but he suddenly collapsed in front of his family members and was subsequently pronounced deceased.

This unfortunate event occurred shortly after political opposition in Ogun accused Justice Ikyegh of accepting monetary bribes in order to uphold the controversial re-election of Governor Dapo Abiodun.

Justice Ikyegh led the panel that affirmed a previous decision by a lower tribunal, which was primarily based on a technical argument that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party criticized as an alleged misrepresentation of Mr. Abiodun’s initial certification by the electoral office INEC.

Another judge on the three-member panel joined Justice Ikyegh in this decision, while the third judge, Jane Esienanwan Inyang, dissented, stating that there was no justification for upholding Mr. Abiodun as governor.

Following this ruling, Ladi Adebutu, Mr. Abiodun’s main challenger in the March 18 governorship election, promptly appealed the decisionto the Supreme Court.

Observers of the judiciary noted that this ruling was one of the most contentious election petition verdicts of the current season.

Governor Abiodun refuted all allegations of judicial interference, and those close to Justice Ikyegh described him as a dedicated jurist who was committed to delivering justice to the Nigerian people.

An official from the National Judicial Council (NJC) confirmed the existence of a pending petition but declined to provide further details.

Born in 1958, Justice Ikyegh was among the judges slated for elevation as associate justices of the Supreme Court. This process began a few days ago and was expected to be completed before December 31, 2023.