Intrigues As Kebbi State Names New Chief Judge

Kebbi State governor, Atiku Baguda, has named a new Chief Judge for the state.

Baguda named Sulaiman Ambursa pending confirmation by the state House of Assembly.

The appointment comes following the sack of Elizabeth Asabe Karatu the state’s former acting Chief Judge.

The general impression is that Karatu was axed because the state assembly did not confirm her name. However, she has maintained that she was sacked because of her Christian faith.

Ambursa was sworn-in a ceremony which held on Friday, June 14.

Reacting to insinuations that the former Chief judge was sacked due to her religion, the governor of the state said: “It baffles me when I read a story on social media that I did not forward Karatu’s name for confirmation because of her religion. “If you could recall, I re-submitted the name of Karatu for the second time on June 2, 2018, to the House for confirmation as Chief Judge. “I was informed that on Aug. 1, 2018, the House refused to confirm her appointment over the alleged alteration of her date of birth and primary school certificate,” he explained.

Further, he said that he lobbied the lawmakers to ensure Karatu was confirmed but all effort proved unsuccessful. He also disclosed how he wrote to the National Judicial Council (NJC) on his efforts to ensure Karatu was confirmed by the House without fruitful outcome, stressing that the refusal to confirm her was not based on her faith.