Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun is the 23rd appointed Chief Justice of Nigeria and the 2nd female to occupy this position in the history of the nation’s judiciary.
The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun as Chief Justice of Nigeria.
This followed a request from President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, seeking the Senate to confirm her as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). The request was thereafter referred to the committee of the whole for consideration on Wednesday.
During the day’s plenary, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) moved that there should be a re-order of the legislative business of the day to make the screening of Kekere-Ekun be the first matter to be addressed.
The Senate suspended its standing rules to allow visitors, including Supreme Court judges, judicial officers, and senior presidential aides on National Assembly matters, to enter the chamber.
The Acting CJN, Kekere-Ekun was thereafter ushered into the Chamber alongside other Justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, amongst others at about 12:30 pm. The Senate immediately resolved into the Committee of the Whole to commence the screening exercise.
During the screening exercise, Justice Kekere-Ekun emphasised that her judicial approach is centred on strictness and integrity. She highlighted the need of strengthening national institutions and making sure that people behave better, particularly when elections are approaching, pointing out that these developments will lessen the tendency to challenge election outcomes in court.
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According to Kekere-Ekun, the Court of Appeal must rule on all pre-election disputes. “All pre-election matters will terminate at the Court of Appeal. I have zero tolerance for corruption,” she stated.
She expressed her disapproval of corruption in the judiciary and claimed that she would not put up with it in any form. She however pleaded for better welfare for Judicial officers to enable them carry out their duties efficiently.
Following the screening exercise which lasted for over 2 hours, a motion was moved for her to “take a bow” and go.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio thereafter put the confirmation of the nominee to a voice vote of which the “ayes” had it.
- Profile of Kekere-Ekun
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun was born in London, United Kingdom, on 7 May 1958. Her father, Senator Hassan Adisa Babatunde Fasinro, OFR, LL.D, was a senator in Nigeria.
She attended the Nigerian Law School from 1980 to 1981 and was called to the Nigerian Bar on 10 July 1981. After completing her mandatory National Youth Service Corps at the Ministry of Justice in Benin City, Edo State, she pursued a master’s degree in Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), graduating in 1983.
She was appointed a Senior Magistrate Grade II by the Lagos State Judiciary in December 1989, marking the beginning of her career on the bench. On 19 July 1996, she was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Lagos State.
On 22 September 2004, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal, where she served in five different divisions across the country.
Kekere-Ekun was appointed on 23rd August, 2024 following the retirement of Olukayode Ariwoola as CJN and has been functioning in acting capacity since then.
With the swearing-in, Kekere-Ekun was expected to operate in an acting capacity until confirmation by the Senate.
Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun is the 23rd appointed Chief Justice of Nigeria and the 2nd female to occupy this position in the history of the nation’s judiciary.
