Sequel to a recommendation by the National Judicial Council, NJC, to President Goodluck Jonathan, he will today confirm Justice Dahiru Musdapher as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, even as the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, kicked against his appointment.
The legal body through a communiqué at the end of its annual general conference in Port Harcourt, contended that “the next CJN should not be anyone who has either directly or indirectly participated in the on-going embarrassing murk at the apex judicial body and at best must be appointed from outside the Supreme Court to ensure transparency and continued sanctity of the judicial process.”
The NBA said: “The ominous dark cloud in the polity today is traceable to the fact that the Constitution has unwittingly conferred upon the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, too much powers without any checks on the occupant of the office whatsoever, which powers subtly encourage abuse of power and concomitant corruption of the legal and judicial system.”
Meantime, Justice Musdapher who was hitherto the second most ranking judicial officer in the country, is taking over from the retired CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, who bowed out of the Judiciary yesterday upon clocking the 70 years mandatory retirement age for judicial officers within that cadre.
According to a statement on Saturday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Justice Musdapher will, in the interim, preside over the affairs of the Supreme Court as an acting CJN, pending the confirmation of his appointment by the Senate.
Jonathan will administer oath of office on the new acting CJN at the State House in Abuja, today.
Justice Musdapher who was born in Bubura town in Jigawa State on July 15, 1942, previously served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kaduna State from1976 to 1978; Chief Judge of Kano State from 1979 till 1985 when he was elevated to the Appeal Court bench and subsequently to the Supreme Court bench in 2003.
The legal body through a communiqué at the end of its annual general conference in Port Harcourt, contended that “the next CJN should not be anyone who has either directly or indirectly participated in the on-going embarrassing murk at the apex judicial body and at best must be appointed from outside the Supreme Court to ensure transparency and continued sanctity of the judicial process.”
The NBA said: “The ominous dark cloud in the polity today is traceable to the fact that the Constitution has unwittingly conferred upon the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, too much powers without any checks on the occupant of the office whatsoever, which powers subtly encourage abuse of power and concomitant corruption of the legal and judicial system.”
Meantime, Justice Musdapher who was hitherto the second most ranking judicial officer in the country, is taking over from the retired CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, who bowed out of the Judiciary yesterday upon clocking the 70 years mandatory retirement age for judicial officers within that cadre.
According to a statement on Saturday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Justice Musdapher will, in the interim, preside over the affairs of the Supreme Court as an acting CJN, pending the confirmation of his appointment by the Senate.
Jonathan will administer oath of office on the new acting CJN at the State House in Abuja, today.
Justice Musdapher who was born in Bubura town in Jigawa State on July 15, 1942, previously served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kaduna State from1976 to 1978; Chief Judge of Kano State from 1979 till 1985 when he was elevated to the Appeal Court bench and subsequently to the Supreme Court bench in 2003.
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