Tinubu is set to swear in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the Chief Justice of Nigeria tomorrow, August 23, 2024.
By Emma Ogbuehi
President Bola Tinubu is set to swear in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the Chief Justice of Nigeria tomorrow, August 23, 2024.
The swearing-in ceremony is billed to take place at the State House Council Chambers.
Kekere-Ekun will succeed Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who retired Thursday. She had been recommended for the post by the National Judicial Council (NJC) at the meeting of the Council chaired by Ariwoola on August 14 and 15.
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Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a message, announced that, the President “will swear in Justice Ariwoola’s successor at the State House Council Chambers on August 23, 2024”.
The release also congratulated Ariwoola, whose stint in the judiciary Tinubu described as a “successful public service career,” commending him for his services to the nation.
“President Tinubu commends the eminent jurist for his services to the nation, noting his impactful leadership of the judiciary and his efforts in enriching Nigerian jurisprudence, as well as in strengthening the fibre of the law.
“The President thanks Justice Ariwoola and wishes him the very best for the future,” the statement further read.
With her elevation, she would be the second female CJN after Mariam Aloma-Mukhtar. Kekere Ekun was born on 7 May 1958 in London, United Kingdom. In 1980, she received a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Lagos and was admitted to the Nigeria Bar on 10 July 1981, having graduated from the Nigerian Law School before she proceeded to the London School of Economics where she received a master’s degree in Law in November 1983.
Kudirat joined the Lagos State Judiciary as Senior Magistrate II and rose to the position of the State High Court Judge. She served as Chairman of Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja between November 1996 to May 1999. She was appointed to the bench of the Nigerian courts of appeal in 2004 before her appointment as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in July 2013.
In 2020, Kekere-Ekun was on the seven-member panel that sacked Imo State governor Emeka Ihedioha and declared that the winning candidate was Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who originally came fourth in the election results.
In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) was conferred on her by President Muhammadu Buhari.