A week to retirement, CJN Ariwoola presides over daughter-in-law’s appointment as FCT High Court Judge

Just a week before his retirement, CJN Olukayode Ariwoola, in one of his final acts, presided over the appointment of his daughter-in-law as a judge in the Abuja High Court.

CJN Ariwoola will attain the retirement age of 70 and, as mandated, retire from the country’s highest judicial office.

Born August 22, 1954, Ariwoola was appointed acting CJN on June 27, 2022, after Justice Tanko Muhammad’s resignation, and was nominated by the President and confirmed CJN by the 10th Senate Assembly on September 21, 2022.

However, seven months after he assumed Office as CJN, Ariwoola appointed his Son, Olukayode Ariwoola Junior as a Judge at the Federal High Court of Nigeria.

Just days before his retirement, CJN Ariwoola made a controversial decision, presided over the appointment of his Son’s wife, Justice Victoria Oluwakemi Ariwoola as a Judge at the Abuja High Court.

While these appointments may be viewed as a family support programme, they raise serious legal questions and contradict the law of the profession, which is a conflict of interest.

In recent general elections in Nigeria, the politicisation and familiarisation of judicial appointments severely impacted justice delivery.

The selection exercise has always been a provision of the Nantional Judicial Council’s (NJC) recommendation list, which is forwarded to the President before confirmation by the Senate.

For a Court of Justice, transparency, merit, and integrity has always been prerequisites to the appointments of judges.

Meanwhile, the appointment of family members is a clear violation of Rule 11(iv) of the Code of Conduct for judicial officers in Nigeria.

One which requires that “in the exercise of his administrative duties, a judicial officer should avoid nepotism and favoritism.”

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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