The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Hon. Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun, to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointment as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
The NJC’s recommendation of Justice Kekere-Ekun was taken at its 106th meeting which was presided over by the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, held on August 14 and 15, 2024.
The outgoing Chief Justice of the Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who assumed office on October 12, 2022, will be vacating the office having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70.
The recommendation of Kekere-Ekun is expected to receive the approval of President Tinubu, who is also expected to submit her nomination to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Once confirmed by the Senate and sworn-in by the President, Justice Kekere-Ekun would emerge as the second female to hold the office of the CJN after former Chief Justice of the Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, who served from 2012 to 2014.
Born on May 7, 1958, the 66-year-old Justice Kekere-Ekun obtained her LL.B from the University of Lagos in 1980 and an LL.M from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1983 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1981.
After several years in private practice, Justice Kekere-Ekun was appointed as a Senior Magistrate in Lagos State in 1989, and later as a High Court Judge in 1996 and later served as the chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal in Lagos from 1996 to 1999.
Kekere-Ekun was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2004 during which she served in various Divisions and was the presiding Justice of the Makurdi and Aku Divisions.
The CJN designate was appointed to the Supreme Court in July 2013 as its fifth female Justice of the apex court.
