Breaking: NJC Recommends Justice Kekere-Ekun As New CJN To Take Over From Ariwoola

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun as the new Chief Justice Of Nigeria (CJN) to take over from Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

Naija News reports Kekere-Ekun was recommended to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as the new CJN at the 106th meeting of the NJC, held on August 14 and 15 and presided over by Ariwoola.

It would be recalled that the current CJN, who assumed office on June 27, 2022, is set to bow out of office on August 22, 2024, after attaining the mandatory age of retirement.

The Council also recommended 27 candidates for appointment as judges of state courts and a candidate for appointment as Kadi of the Sharia Court of the FCT, Abuja, to their various governors and the President.

Should Justice Kekere-Ekun take over as the new CJN as expected after Ariwoola’s retirement, she would become the second female justice in Nigeria to hold the exalted position after Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, who was CJN between July 2012 and November 2014.

The 66-year-old Kekere-Ekun is the most senior justice of the Supreme Court after Ariwoola, and is favoured to clinch the position.

After 11 years at the Supreme Court, Justice Kekere-Ekun will not only become the next CJN but also head the National Judicial Council (NJC), which oversees the appointment, promotion, and discipline of judges across the country.