DO LAWYERS REALLY HAVE A RIGHT OF AUDIENCE IN THE SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL IN NIGERIA? Karimatu Yakubu and Anor v Alhaji Yakubu Paiko and Anor Revisited.

In Karimatu Yakubu and Anor v Alhaji Yakubu Paiko and Ano,' the Court of Appeal decided that under the 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, legal practitioners have a right of audience in the Sharia Court of Appeal. Although, the 1979 Constitution has now been replaced by the 1999 Constitution, this decision is still law because the relevant provisions of both constitutions on the issue are in pari materia. But is Karimatu’s case a good law? This paper examines and answers this question. 22 THE POSITION BEFORE THE JUDGEMENT Hitherto, legal practitioners do not appear in Sharia Courts of Appeal because they were expressly prohibited from doing so.