On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) following her screening.
The confirmation followed a letter from President Bola Tinubu, sent to the Senate on Tuesday, requesting her approval for the position. Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, read the letter during plenary, highlighting that the request was made under Section 231(1) of the Nigerian Constitution.
This section grants the President the authority to appoint the CJN based on recommendations from the National Judicial Council (NJC), subject to Senate confirmation.
President Tinubu expressed full confidence in Justice Kekere-Ekun’s nomination in his letter and urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process. He stated, “I hereby forward the nomination of Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, CON, for confirmation as the Chief Justice of Nigeria. I trust that this request will receive the Senate’s prompt consideration and approval.”
Senate President Akpabio referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for detailed deliberation, which led to her swift confirmation.
Justice Kekere-Ekun’s nomination by the NJC in August came after her predecessor, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, stepped down from the role.
The 66-year-old jurist has been serving as the Acting CJN since Justice Ariwoola retired last month.
Kekere-Ekun is the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria and the second Nigeria female jurist to serve in that position.
The first female to occupy the exalted seat was Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, who was the CJN between July 2012 and November 2014.
Kekere-Ekun was born on May 7, 1958, in London, United Kingdom. Her journey in the legal profession commenced at the University of Lagos where she obtained her first degree in law in 1980.
After she completed the Nigeria Law School, she was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 10, 1981.
