The House of Representatives has taken a major step toward holding corrupt judges accountable.
On Tuesday, they passed a bill for the second reading that aims to change the Nigerian Constitution.
This bill would allow the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to receive complaints against corrupt judges and review their defenses.
If the NBA is not convinced by a judge’s defense, it can conduct a vote of no confidence during its Annual General Meeting.
If two-thirds of the members vote against the judge, that judge will be considered to have resigned from office.
The bill, sponsored by Afam Ogene, a lawmaker from Anambra State, proposes changes to several sections of the 1999 Constitution.
These changes would allow for the removal of corrupt officials, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justices of the Court of Appeal, and judges from both federal and state courts.
According to Ogene, the goal of this bill is to create a new way to discipline corrupt judges because the National Judicial Council (NJC) is no longer effective in addressing corruption within the judicial system.
