Senate Set to Confirm Onnoghen as CJN Today

All is now set for the Senate to screen and possibly confirm the Acting Chief Judge of Ni­geria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, as the substantive Chief Jus­tice of Nigeria.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki said on Tues­day that the screening of Jus­tice Onnoghen would hold at the Upper Chamber today.
The Senate had last Tues­day confirmed receiving a letter from the Acting Pres­ident, Yemi Osinbajo, re­questing the confirmation of Justice Onnoghen as the CJN.

The letter was read by Saraki at the plenary after four weeks of suspending sitting for the 2017 Budget defence by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Saraki said that the let­ter, dated February 7, urged the Senate to confirm On­noghen, pursuant to Sec­tion 231 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Following the recom­mendation of the Nation­al Judicial Council (NJC), I hereby notify you of the ap­pointment of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN)”, the letter stated.
The letter came four months after President Mu­hammadu Buhari had rec­ommended Justice On­noghen as the Acting CJN following the retirement of his immediate predecessor, Hon. Justice Mahmoud Mu­hammad.
The delay would have triggered an automatic con­stitutional provision that could block the President from proceeding with the nomination process by Feb­ruary 10.
Buhari’s delay in nom­inating Justice Onnoghen as substantive CJN despite the NJC’s recommendation fuelled allegations of ethnic bias by the President.
A Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, had dragged President Bu­hari before a Federal High Court, Abuja over his refusal to appoint Justice Onnoghen as the CJN.
The Attorney-Gener­al of the Federation, Feder­al Judicial Service Commis­sion, Onnoghen and the NJC were joined as co-defendants in the suit.
Justice Onnoghen was born on December 22, 1950 at Okurike Town, Biase Lo­cal Government Area of Cross Rivers State.
A fellow, Chattered In­stitute of Arbitrators, he was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nige­ria in 2005.