Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, is billed to be sworn in within minutes as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), following the sudden resignation of the erstwhile holder of the office, Justice Muhammad Tanko.
Tanko is said to have resigned on account of ill-health, though he was enmeshed in a scandalous situation in which 14 of his colleagues questioned his integrity last week over accountability issues.
They also faulted his handling of matters of their welfare and working conditions.
Muhammad’s successor, Ariwoola, was born on Aug. 22, 1958.
He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2011.
He was a Justice of the Court of Appeal between 2005 and 2011 after been elevated from the State High Court of Oyo State.
Justice Ariwoola was first appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of record in Oyo State in 1992 from private legal practice.
A week earlier, Muhammad’s predecessor, Walter Onnoghen, had lamented the working conditions in the Supreme Court, warning that it was on its way to becoming a glorified high court.
The sudden resignation of the CJN Muhammad, as the highest judicial officer in the land, came just after he defended his actions as head of the judiciary, noting that the arm of government was also being hit by the economic crunch in the country.
Though he initially told our correspondent that his principal was still in office and billed to be at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), spokesman to Muhammad, Mr. Ahuraka Isah, reportedly confirmed the new development later to other platforms.
He also confirmed that Justice Ariwoola will be sworn-in as the acting CJN.
