The Senate officially confirmed Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Wednesday after her successful screening.
This confirmation came in response to a letter from President Bola Tinubu, submitted to the Senate on Tuesday, seeking her approval as CJN.
During the plenary session on Tuesday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the letter, in which President Tinubu cited Section 231(1) of the Nigerian Constitution. This section empowers the President to appoint the CJN based on recommendations from the National Judicial Council, subject to Senate confirmation. Tinubu expressed strong support for Kekere-Ekun’s nomination and urged the Senate to act swiftly.
“I hereby forward the nomination of Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, CON, for confirmation as the Chief Justice of Nigeria. I am confident that this request will receive the Senate’s prompt attention and approval,” Tinubu stated in his message to lawmakers.
Following the reading of the letter, Senate President Akpabio referred Kekere-Ekun’s nomination to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion in the upcoming legislative session.
Justice Kekere-Ekun’s nomination was originally recommended to President Tinubu by the National Judicial Council (NJC) in August, following the retirement of former CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
Kekere-Ekun, 66, has been serving as Acting CJN since Justice Ariwoola’s retirement. With this confirmation, she becomes Nigeria’s 23rd Chief Justice and the second woman to hold the office, following Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, who served from July 2012 to November 2014.
Born on May 7, 1958, in London, United Kingdom, Justice Kekere-Ekun obtained her law degree from the University of Lagos in 1980 and was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 10, 1981, after completing her studies at the Nigerian Law School.