Nigeria’s Supreme Court has comfirmed the death of one of its judges, Justice Centus Nweze popularly know as CC Nweze.
This is contained in statement issued by Mr Festus Akande, the Director of Press and Information of the apex court on Monday in Abuja.
Nweze was said to have died on Sunday after a brief illness at the age of 64.
BRANDPOWER reports that with this unfortunate exit, the South East is presently without a single Justice at the apex court .
Justice Chima Centus Nweze famously stirred the hornet’s nest when he read a dissenting judgment in the review appeal filed by Emeke Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Ihedioha and his party approached a 7-man panel headed by Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad to annul its verdict of 14 January that ousted him as Imo governor and declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress as the winner and thus the lawful governor.
In the majority verdict read by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, six members of the panel agreed to: “The judgement of the Supreme Court is a finality”.
Justice Centus Nweze in his dissenting judgment however set aside the January 14 judgment of the Supreme Court that removed Ihedioha from office as a nullity and in bad faith.
Nweze nullified the declaration of Uzodinma as governor on account of wrong declaration and held that Uzodinma mischievously misled the court into unjust conclusion with the unverified votes in 388 polling units.
“In my intimate reading of the January 14 judgment, the substance of Ihedioha’s matter was lost to time frame.
“This Court once set aside its own earlier judgment and therefore cannot use time frame to extinguish the right of any person.
“This Court has powers to over-rule itself and can revisit any decision not in accordance with justice”, he said.
Nweze said, “this decision of the Supreme Court will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come, adding that without evidence of meeting other constitutional provisions, the court misled itself into declaring Uzodinma as governor.
“This Court has a duty of redeeming its image.
“I am of the view that this application should succeed. I hereby make an order setting aside the decision of this Court made on Jan. 14 and that the certificate of return issued to the appellant be returned to INEC.
“I also make an order restoring the respondents as winner of the March 9 governorship election.
Nweze attended St John Cross Seminary, Nsukka, from 1972 -1977, emerging with a Distinction in the West African School Certificate Examination, [WASCE]. Between 1979 – 1983, he was an undergraduate student at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.
In 1983, he represented the Faculty of Law, and indeed, all Nigerian Law Faculties, at the Phillip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC, as the Chief Oralist. Upon his graduation in 1983, [LL. B. (Hons) (Nig.)], he proceeded to the Nigeria Law School, from 1983 – 1984, where he obtained the qualifying Certificate, [BL]. He did his NYSC between 1984 – 1985 in Bauchi.
Subsequently, he returned to the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, between 1993 – 1995, where he studied for, and obtained, the Master of Laws Certificate, [LL. M]. Between 1997 – 2001, he studied for, and achieved, the Doctorate Degree [Ph. D.] of the same university, the University of Nigeria.
Having practised at the private Bar from 1985 – 1995, he was elevated to the High Court Bench of Enugu State in November, 1995.
While on the High Court Bench, he served as Chairman, Second Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Enugu State, 1996 -1998; Chairman, Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Nsukka, 1998 -1999; member, Ondo Local Government Election Petition Tribunal, 1999; Chairman, Ogun State Governorship and Legislative Houses Election Petition Tribunal, 1999; Administrative Judge, Nsukka Judicial Division, Enugu State, 2001.
He was appointed a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, February 15, 2008; and served thereat until October, 2014, when he was, finally, elevated to Nigeria’s apex court as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Oct. 29, 2014.
He has been on the Bench of the Supreme Court from October 2014 until his demise.
Justice Nweze served in various capacities in extra-judicial vocational activities.
These include: Member, DFID Access to Justice Programme, Enugu State, 2003; Member, National Working Group on the Reform of Criminal Justice Administration, 2004 [the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, is the brainchild of this group]; Team Member, Enugu State Sector Strategic Plan, 2004; PATHS-DFID Hon Consultant, District Health System Law/Regulations, 2004;
Member, OSIWARD C Expert Consultative Forum on Federal Budget Act and Facilitator, Enugu State Justice Sector Reform Team.
A former Convenor/Co-coordinator, LL. M (International Human Rights Programme), and Visiting Human Rights Scholar, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, 2000 -2008;
Nweze, who was a Distinguished Scholar, Pro Bono, Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Enugu, was formerly, a Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, Ebonyi State University and Member, International Advisory Board, Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law (Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, USA).
