Buhari swears in new acting Chief Justice of Nigeria

November 10, 2016Sani Tukur

President Muhammadu Buhari has sworn in Walter Onnoghen as the new acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.

The swearing in ceremony was conducted, Thursday, at the council chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Mr. Onnoghen replaces Mahmud Mohammed whose tenure ended at midnight on Wednesday.

Details later…

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Watch man

Great Mr. President. I hope Walter will fight corruption dispassionately. Congratulations!
Victoria

Why Buari appointing Notherners,this is another Notherner. Tribal Bigots over to you.
- wazobia ninja!!!!!!
  
  blind hatred ……………. stop thinking from your a$$crack …..
  
  Walter Onnoghen is a northerner? is biase, cross river state now situated in northern nigeria?what the crappy sh!t is wrong with you?
  - Nothing but the truth
    
    And u caught the bug… already insulting victoria for the statement. Easy, i know u love PMB
    - wazobia ninja!!!!!!
      
      not about love ………………….. its easy to be factual about certain comments and it cost nothing to do so instead misinforming some of the gullible public ………….
  - emmanuel
    
    You did not get it. Victoria is a mallam who stoked you be saying all you Southerners who say Buhari is a bigot, what will you now say after Buhari appointed a Southerner?
    It was a rhetorical statement.
    But i must correct Mallam Victoria that Buhari tribal sentiments has been demonstrated by refusing to send Onnoghens name to the Senate for confirmation.
    I hope the Niger Delta militants have noted this and should see it to the end of this drama.
    - Mufu Ola
      
      U’re never tired. Try to open another conspiracy route.
  - Mike
    
    Na waa o! You’ve completely misunderstood the context in which the comment was made. It was purely sarcastic.
abdul dull daura

The fear of Triumphant Trump is already catching the one without a pass in maths. Now you must obey the rule of law.
meeku

Ahhhhh… another northern muslim
Otile

Thanks to President Trump, henceforth Imam Mohamed Buhari will do the right things for fear of Trump. Imam can no longer wave Islamic pride in the White House as he did with his friend Hussein Barak Obama.
- Mufu Ola
  
  You are never short of inferiority complex. So it is Trump that will “flog” Buhari.So much for elementary intelligence.And U’re waving religious the same religious bigotry flag U’re accusing Buhari of!
  - Otile
    
    Do you think the Northern emirs will troop to Trump’s White House to receive gifts? Sorry the party is over for your slave masters.
James Ojapa

Not yet uhuru for Walter! The question still remains why has his name not being forwarded to the Senate . It has being one month since he was recommended by NJC or are they trying to take advantage of the maximum 3 months tenure that can be served by an acting CJN after which he cannot be renominated.
- aisha ani
  
  I think they are waiting for the maximum 3 months tenure.
Dr Pat Kolawole Awosan

Let us hope for a better and a more focus chief justice of Nigeria,as justice Walter Onnoghen, as chief justice of Nigeria.Hopefully,justice Onnoghen, would adopt a more active role and style in a more effective anti-corruption figtht against suspected indicted corrupt-judges and justices on the bench.
@Otile & ilk:President M.Buhari, is the legitimate elected Nigerian leader and Donald Trump,the elected USA president promises during campaign to focus on America-domestic America first policy,not world policeman.If elected president D.Trump, respect president M.Buhari, then president M.Buhari, would reciprocate.
No nation,s leader is subservient to any USA president.Get this into your dead-brain.
- emmanuel
  
  Buhari has refused to send the name of a Southerner to the senate for confirmation. What will happen to the man, no one knows.
  Will the DSS plant FOREX in his house? wil he be alive in three months? What is Buhari upto?
  Is Nigeria now a foolani only country? Let him immediately remove Osinbajo and The Deputy House speaker and replace them with Northerners.
- Arogbo
  
  Another 419 Thief Justice of Nigeria.
E.D Noble

Premium Times Editor,

What is the meaning of Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria?

What President Buhari did here is gross insult
on people’s intelligence. He’s put himself in the oversize position of an
assessor of the performance of Justice Walter Onnoghen whom he now has
the power to confirm or not. What audacity? What is Buhari’s own qualification?

To be frank President Buhari might have a terribly bad ulterior motive here.
President Buhari should thus be called to order now. He’s been suspected of
looking only for Muslims to fill 99% of government posts.

That suspicion lingers,
because he’s now virtually and illegally created a non-existent post
of Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.Nigeria is not a caliphate of Muslims.
Nigeria is not a playground of Hausa/Fulani Muslims. President Buhari
has a tribalistic worldview and divides Nigerians along ethno-religious lines.
- frankline
  
  NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION SHOULD RISE UP FOR ONCE AND THINK.
  MUHAMADU BUHARI USURPS POWER TO SUPERVISE THE CHIEF JUSTICE.
  THAT IS THE FACTUAL AND LEGAL MEANING OF ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE.
  NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION SHOULD NOW DECLARE OUTRIGHT BOYCOTT.
  A COURT UNDER THE THUMB OF MUHAMADU BUHARI IS NOT WORTH HAVING.
- Mike
  
  I remember that in 2011, then President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan swore-in Hon. Justice Dahiru Musdapher as the ‘ACTING’ CJN on Monday 29th August following the statutory retirement of Hon. Justice Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu on Sunday 28th August ‘pending Senate Confirmation’. Senate finally confirmed this appointment almost a month later on 22nd Spetember. Would you care to comment on the circumstances surrounding that instance?
  - Mufu Ola
    
    Don’t mind those sloths who have their brains in their asses & think they are ‘more educated’. Except in military regimes a CJN must first be confirmed by Senate before being full CJN.These educated illiterates on this forum won’t understand this simple procedure.Most of them are not better than the Aboki shoe shiner on d streets in thinking.
    - Otile
      
      Stop calling your fellow Yoruba tribesmen sloths and educated illiterates. Most of them are more educated than you.
Rommel

This man is one of the most corrupt judges in Nigeria,it’s a shame that because of ethnic politics,such a character should be allowed to sit on the bench not to talk of rising to the highest judicial position in Nigeria,it’s a sad day for justice.
- Ivy Ettah
  
  Cross check your facts before going to the press. If you don’t have what to say then dive into the Lagos lagoon
  - emmanuel
    
    He is playing the card shuffled by Buhari and i urge all Southerners to begin protest on this through every available medium.
    The Yorubas o fcourse will not say anything about it, because it will make the South South occupy a beter position than them
- emmanuel
  
  Animal, better look for Southerners that will ride along with you on this.
  I urge the NDA and NDGJM to follow this fraud on SS very closely. Buhari still want a foolani in that seat.
  The day the homes of judges were raided, i said it clearly that the first target was to ensure Onnoghen and the South does not occupy that seat.
  Your Miyetti Allah patron has demonstrated it with his body language up until today that he care less of what the South think about it and has drafted scoundrels like you to begin a campaign of calumny against the man.
  We shall see where this takes him.
- olaoluwa
  
  If he’s corrupt, he should not smell the post no matter how much “southerner ” he is! Rather if d emphasis is on southerner, get a better, worthier person from the south to replace him. The proof against him must be open, solid and clear not a Sahara reporter or premium times stuff ooo.
Ivy Ettah

Premium times,I have never seen where a supreme Court judge is address as Mr. This is unprofessional in terms of protocol
Gary

I believe he’s acting CJ until confirmed by the Senate. The next step is to forward his name to the Senate; which should have been done ahead of the retirement of the current CJ.

As usual, Buhari drags his feet when it comes to naming non-Fulanis into strategic positions in government. He’s now had to swear him in as acting CJ instead of after formal Senate confirmation as substantive CJ.
333niamey

@disqus_37tUayk10K:disqus

Under the 1999 Constitution
there is no post of Acting President in the context of a President’s refusal
to send the name of a nominee to the Senate before the term of a current
Chief Justice expires. There is no authorization for such self-inflicted vacuum.
Nigerians must see what’s happened today as a violation of the Constitution.
sammyctu ode

Another corrupt insulting Acting CJ sworn in. Is he telling us that he didn’t know what has been going on at the SC or in the judiciary all these decades, did he declare his assets, What is his networth and how much has he benefited from the billions of the slush funds just recently discovered at the SC?
Andrew

Buhari cannot jump the gun in this case, seniority comes first, Justice Tanko has to wait for his time….