On Friday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swore in Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun as the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) at the State House Council Chambers.
Kekere-Ekun, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in July 2013, replaces former CJN Olukayode Ariwoola, who retired the previous day.
Her appointment follows a recommendation by the National Judicial Council (NJC), which held its 106th meeting on August 15, chaired by Ariwoola. The NJC traditionally nominates the most senior Supreme Court justice for the CJN role. Kekere-Ekun will serve as CJN in an acting capacity until the Senate provides its final approval.
According to Section 231(4) of the Constitution, the president is empowered to appoint the next senior Supreme Court justice to act as CJN when the position becomes vacant.
Kekere-Ekun, the fifth female justice to serve on the Supreme Court, is set to lead the Nigerian judiciary until 2028, when she will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70. With this appointment, she becomes Nigeria’s second female CJN, following Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, who held the position from July 2012 to November 2014.
In 2020, Kekere-Ekun was involved in a controversial judgment that declared Hope Uzodinma the Governor of Imo State. This decision led to her visa application being rejected by the United States.
The judgment, which resulted in Uzodinma, who came fourth in the governorship election, being declared the winner over the PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha, was widely criticized and deemed one of the most controversial in the Supreme Court’s history.
In the 2019 election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced that Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won with 273,404 votes, ahead of the Action Alliance (AA)’s Uche Nwosu, who polled 190,364 votes.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)’s Ifeanyi Ararume and All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Hope Uzodinma came third and fourth with 114,676 and 96,458 votes respectively.
The case was heard by Justices Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, Olukayode Ariwoola, Amiru Sanusi, Amina Adamu Augie, Uwani Musa Abba Aji, and Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun, who announced the ruling.
