*HOPE BLINKS OVER ORIMOLUSI CASE IN SUPREME COURT AS APEX JUSTICES INCREASE TO TWENTY*
6th Nov. 2020
Olu Steve
Ijebu Ode
Tendency for the suspended Orimolusi case file at the Supreme Court to be swiftly attended to, after the needfulness expected from the Litigant must have been perfectly done, raises a promising hope towards the end of the 26 years interregnum, especially as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, has sworn in eight new Justices of the Supreme Court, pushing the number of Justices of the court from 12 to record 20.
In the past, it was often time appearing a serious concern in the Judicial system of Nigeria as only one Supreme Court in Abuja will have to attend to voluminous case files emanating from across the States of the Nation.
In the light of the above, the shortage of the Apex Court Justices, in spite of being only one in the federation, has consequently led to the relegation of the civil cases therein to become secondary in the Supreme Court calendar, causing aching delays to most Chieftaincy cases in the Apex Court.
This delay, coupled with the continuous filing of new cases, has led to congestion in Courts with a ridiculous number of a backlog of cases, a projection previews as one of the clauses asserted to have contributed to the delay of jurisdiction over Orimolusi case since about 2012 the application was instituted.
In spite of the backlogs of cases in Supreme Court, the last time Orimolusi file was considerably attended to was in February 2019 where the file, upon critical review by the Justices in the court, was disappointedly suspended for alleged improper filing and with subsequent admonition for the Litigants to consolidate the Appeals.
Hence, it is however becoming further worrisome to ascertain, as premised on close investigation, that the delay in the justice dispensation over the file has pathetically thrown the Ijebu Igbo town off the traditional, structural and developmental balance.
This emotional chastisement and traditional ridicule reached an embarrassing climax in the history of the town to the extent the Elders of the town were passionately propelled to send emissaries to the Supreme Court for critical enquiry about the status of the Orimolusi file in the Court.
A privy information emanating from the outcome of the visit to Supreme Court states that, the community as a whole was admonished to take a bold step to apply for the Necessity of ripeness to the Apex Court so as to exhibit interest on the case file for speedy attention.
An investigation into what subsequently transpired in the decision board room of the town unveils how the authority at stake was embroiled in confusion as to what could be the aftermath of the proposal in the eyes of the Justices handling the case.
Our correspondent gathered from a reliable source that an advice emanated from a Legal Counsel, having perused the report from the emissaries sent to Supreme Court, instigated the jettison of the idea of the Community to register their interest in the Court, but to approach Awujale to intercede in the matter.
Yet, it can not be established, as at the time of this writing report, if the case file at Supreme Court has been perfected and pressed for listing upon all appeals.
Meanwhile, in view of the latest development manifesting in the Judicial system of the Apex Court, Nigeria, there is hope that the Chieftaincy cases will, henceforth, begin to gain momentary attention due to the increase in number to the Justices.
By this new development, the concern of the majority is to ascertain the side pendulum will swing to, either for the needfulness to be done on the case file for listing or to continue to be deliberately abandoned to the detriment of ruin of the town!
@Olu-Steve
2020