With barely 10 days to the expiration of Walter Onnoghen’s tenure as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, there are fears in some quarters over the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to submit the his name to the senate for screening and confirmation as the CJN.
This fear was confirmed when a senior member of the senate confirmed that the president had not yet written to the upper legislative chamber on the confirmation of the appointment of Onnoghen.
Onnoghen’s three-month term as acting CJN will elapse on February 10, and it is expected that his appointment should be confirmed before the time if he is to remain in the position.
In October 2016, the National Judicial Council (NJC) nominated Onnoghen, who is the most senior member of the Supreme Court bench, to head the nation’s judiciary.
Onnoghen has been in an acting capacity since November 10, 2016 – a day after Mahmud Mohammed, former CJN, retired.
He added that there was no executive communication on a replacement for him as well.
If his appointment is confirmed, Onnoghen, who is from Cross River state, will be the first substantive CJN from the south since 1987.
