President Bola Tinubu is set to swear in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Friday, following the retirement of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

This was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement issued on Thursday.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja, marking a significant transition in the leadership of Nigeria’s judiciary.

Justice Kekere-Ekun will succeed Justice Ariwoola, who officially bowed out after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

In his statement, President Tinubu congratulated Justice Ariwoola for a distinguished career in public service, praising his contributions to the legal profession and his role in strengthening Nigeria’s judicial system.

“President Bola Tinubu congratulates Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, as he retires as Chief Justice of Nigeria after a successful public service career,” the statement read.

“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.”

Justice Ariwoola’s career has been marked by significant judicial accomplishments, having served as a Justice of the Court of Appeal in Kaduna, Enugu, and Lagos divisions before his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2011.

He was appointed as Chief Justice of Nigeria on September 21, 2022, by former President Muhammadu Buhari, and has since played a crucial role in the nation’s judiciary.

As Justice Kekere-Ekun prepares to take on her new role, she steps into the position with a wealth of experience and a strong reputation for judicial excellence, setting the stage for continued progress in the Nigerian legal system.

The post Tinubu to Swear in Kekere-Ekun as New CJN On Friday first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Tinubu to Swear in Kekere-Ekun as New CJN On Friday appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

CJN Onnoghen will be arraigned on Monday by the federal government.

In a statement issued on Saturday by Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, the PDP candidate said the principle of separation of powers remains sacrosanct in a democracy irrespective of what President Buhari is being told by his advisers or the buttons they are pressing to forcefully remove the CJN.

Atiku said the plot to sack Justice Onnoghen is a preemptive move against the bench in the face of imminent defeat and knowing the role that the judiciary plays in the final outcome of elections.

“We have just been made aware of the plot by President Muhammadu Buhari the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sack Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen using flimsy assets declaration issues as a pretext. We are aware that there are plans to arraign Justice Onnoghen before the Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar led- Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday, January, 14, 2019. The charge against Onnoghen, we understand has already been filed and served on him last Friday at his official residence in Abuja preparatory to his appearance at the Tribunal.

”But we warn that despite the clandestine meetings in the highest echelon of the APC and also involving some top officials of the federal government which include the Code of Conduct Tribunal, neither Buhari nor the APC can re-write the Nigerian Constitution just because of its impending defeat at the February 16, presidential election. Heavens did not fall when PDP lost to the APC in 2015. And heavens will not fall now that the APC is sure to lose to the PDP, seeing that the APC’s plan to rig in the forthcoming elections will not pull through,” the statement said.

Atiku added that Nigerians were aware that the linchpin of the plot, Mr. Dennis Aghanya, the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI), the author of the purported petition seeking Onnoghen’s removal,was the National Publicity Secretary of President Buhari’s defunct political party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

The PDP candidate warned however that if Buhari and the APC succeed in the current plot, it then should be ready for an epic battle, the end of which no one can predict, and the consequences of which can only be imagined.

”We have the strength of character, the courage and the conviction to mount a sustained campaign in defence of justice, and in defence of separation of powers as enshrined in the constitution, which is the ground norm of our democracy ,” Atiku warned.

Atiku asserted that even if the allegations against Onnoghen are true, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) was wrong to have referred the petition to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

He said the Code of Conduct Bureau, according to Section 3 (e) of the third schedule (part 1) of the 1999 constitution, “shall receive complaints about the non-compliance with or breach of the provisions of the Code of Conduct or any law in relation thereto, investigate the complaint and, where appropriate, refer such matter to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).”

Atiku argued that since judicial officers are disciplined by the National Judicial Council (NJC), the CCB was wrong to have referred the matter to the CCT even if the allegations have been found to have any substance.

“The proper procedure would have been for the petition to be referred to the JSC of which Onnoghen is the Chairman, but he would have to excuse himself from the process. If found guilty, he could be asked to vacate his office as CJN, in addition to other punishments,” Atiku argued.

He further stated that Buhari’s desperation was to get Onnoghen out of the way and appoint an acting CJN whom he views as pliant and who will be made to superintend over election petitions in case his well-laid out rigging plan fails.

Atiku called on Nigerians to resist the current move to silence the judiciary, saying Nigeria’s democracy and not the judiciary is on trial.

“Buhari and his APC led government should not emasculate the judiciary as they tried to do the National Assembly and was resisted by the President of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki. This is a brazen day light assault on the judiciary because he (Buhari wants) a pliable acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to sit on his election petition because he has seen the signal that he will lose the February 16 presidential election,” Atiku said.

The post Atiku reacts to Buhari-led APC govt’s plan to arraign CJN Onnoghen on Monday first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Atiku reacts to Buhari-led APC govt’s plan to arraign CJN Onnoghen on Monday appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

At the weekend, information emerged that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has ordered the CJN to immediately vacate his office.

The government is said to, on Monday January 14, 2019, arraign him before the Justice Danladi Yakubu led-Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja, on charges of failure to declare his assets as required by law and for operating Bank Domiciliary Foreign Currency Accounts.

On Saturday, our correspondent exclusively learnt of the timelines of the legal action against Onnoghen.

On Monday January 7, a petition was written by the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI);

On Tuesday January 8, the petition was submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB);

On Wednesday January 9, the petition was stamped “received” by the office of the CCB chairman;

On Thursday January 10, charges against CJN Onnoghen were filed by the CCB;

On Friday January 11, the CJN was served at his official residence in Abuja.

Details of the petition, ARDI petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), listed a number of allegations, false declaration of assets, against Onnoghen.

The group said its petition, dated January 7, 2019, became necessary “bearing in mind the imminence of the 2019 General Elections and the overwhelming roles of the Judicial Arm both before and after”.

ARDI said Onnoghen “is the owner of sundry accounts primarily funded through cash deposits made by himself up to as recently as 10th August 2016 which appear to have been run in a manner inconsistent with financial transparency and the code of conduct for public officials”.

In the petition seen by TheCable, the group said Onnoghen made five different cash deposits of $10,000 each on March 8, 2011, into Standard Chartered Bank Account 1062650; two separate cash deposits of $5000 each followed by four cash deposits of $10,000 each on June 7, 2011; another set of five separate cash deposits of $10,000 each on June 27, 2011, and four more cash deposits of $10,000 each the following day.

They said Onnoghen did not declare his assets immediately after taking office, contrary to section 15 (1) of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act; and that he did not comply with the constitutional requirement for public servants to declare their assets every four years during their career.

Also alleged against him is that his Code of Conduct Bureau Forms (Form CCB 1) for 2014 and 2016 were dated and filed on the same day and the acknowledgement slips were issued for both on December 14, 2016 — at which point, they said, Onnoghen had become the CJN. Onnoghen assumed office as CJN on March 6, 2017.

ARDI alleged that prior to 2016, Onnoghen appeared “to have suppressed or otherwise concealed the existence of these multiple domiciliary accounts owned by him, as well as the substantial cash balances in them”.

Account balances were listed as follows: The Standard Chartered Bank dollar account 1062650 with a balance of $391,401.28 on January 31, 2011;

The Standard Chartered Bank Euro account 5001062686 with a balance of EURO 49,971 .71 on January 31, 2011;

The Standard Chartered Bank pound sterling account 5001062679 with a balance of GBP23,409.66 on February 28, 2011;

“It is curious that these domiciliary accounts were not declared in one of the two CCB Forms filed by Justice Onnoghen on the same day, 14th December 2016,” the group said.

The Federal Government among others is accusing Nigeria’s Head of the Judiciary of refusal to declare his assets in breach of the provision of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act.

He is also being accused of maintaining Domiciliary foreign currencies account which comprised Dollars Account, Pound Sterling Account and Euro Account which are alleged to be contrary to relevant laws, especially for public office holders.

Justice Onnoghen, whose appointment suffered delay by President Muhammadu Buhari over undisclosed issues, may be the first CJN in Nigeria to be arraigned for criminal charges by the Federal Government.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has been engaged by the Federal Government to prosecute Justice Onnoghen.

However, eminent lawyers have already volunteered to put their services at the disposal of the CJN.

The post CJN Onnoghen: How Buhari govt filed criminal charges within four days (See petition details) first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post CJN Onnoghen: How Buhari govt filed criminal charges within four days (See petition details) appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.