Buhari Swears In Onnoghen As Acting CJN Today, As Police Clears NJC Secretary

Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen

Police Cleared NJC Secretary

President Muhammadu Buhari will today swear in Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen as acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Thenigerialawyer learnt last night. A top Presidency source, who disclosed this to our correspondent, said Onnoghen would be sworn in inside the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said arrangements had been concluded to conduct the swearing-in at exactly 2.00pm today. The current CJN, Justice Mahmud Muhammed, will retire today having attained the retirement age of 70.

According to a top source, Onnoghen will be inaugurated in acting capacity until the confirmation of his appointment by the Senate.
The constitution allows the most senior justice of the Supreme Court to serve in acting capacity for three months until he is appointed by the President and subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Although the presidency was yet to forward the name of Onnoghen, it was learnt that the process was in progress.

It will also be the first time in the history of Nigeria that a person will be appointed to the office of the CJN in acting capacity.

Another source, who opted to be more specific, told one of our correspondents that the President opted to swear in Onnoghen in acting capacity in order to prevent a vacuum in the office of the CJN pending when he would decide whether or not to confirm the CJN-nominee in substantive capacity.

Under the Constitution, a person can only hold the office of the CJN in acting capacity for three months.

Sources told one of our correspondents that the decision of the President might be connected with an ongoing investigation by security agencies into some allegations involving some Justices of the Supreme Court.

Justice Onnoghen was born in 1950 at Okurike, Biase Local Government Area of Cross Rivers State and was appointed to the Supreme Court bench in 2005.

Though section 231(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, confers on the President the power to appoint a CJN on the recommendations of the NJC, it, however, stressed that such appointment must be subject to the confirmation by the Senate.

If Buhari approves Onnoghen as the 17th CJN, he will become the first jurist from the southern part of the country to head the judiciary in about 29 years.

Onnoghen will clock 70 on December 20, 2020.

Justice Ayo Gabriel Irikefe, who retired in 1987, was the last CJN from the south of the country.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) had on October 5 formally received the nomination of Justice Onnoghen as the new CJN for onward recommendation to President Buhari.

Meanwhile, there were indications that the Nigeria Police Force has cleared the Secretary of the National Judicial Council( NJC), Mr. Mr Danladi Halilu.

A top police source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Following a petition by two people, a team from the police headquarters went to the residence of the NJC secretary for a search.

“The petitioners had alleged that he stacked huge sums of money and relocated sensitive files to his home. We obtained a warrant to search his house.

“The NJC Secretary was not around when we searched the house but the family cooperated with us and we found nothing incriminating. Neither cash nor vital documents were found in his house.

“By our findings, the petition was frivolous and baseless. We have given the secretary a clean bill of health on the same day we executed the warrant. It was actually a false alarm.

“So far, he is not under any probe by the police or security agencies in connection with the ongoing investigation of some corrupt judges.”

Thenigerialawyer recalls the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters yesterday screened Justices Sidi Dauda Bage (North-Central) and Paul Adamu Galinje (North-East) as justices of the Supreme Court.