Nigeria's Chief Justice resigns on health grounds

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, has resigned on health grounds.

The next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, Olukayode Ariwoola, who hails from Oyo State, is expected to be sworn in in an acting capacity, sources at the Supreme Court who confirmed Mr. Muhammad’s resignation, say.

The resignation by Mr. Muhammad, 68, comes about 18 months ahead of his official retirement in December 2023, when he will clock 70.

Mr. Muhammad’s abrupt exit comes at a time when his colleagues on the Supreme Court bench accused him of hampering the operations of the Supreme Court by failing to fund judges’ welfare as well as fueling of generators among others.

A leaked memo by 14 Justices of the Supreme Court protesting Mr. Muhammad’s handling of the operations of the court surfaced online last week.

Such letter leaking to the public is unprecedented in the history of the Nigerian Supreme Court.

Mr. Muhammad is leaving behind the crises enumerated in the letter by the Justices of the Supreme Court.

He is the second CJN in a row to abruptly exit office.

His predecessor, Walter Onnoghen, was controversially suspended by President Muhammad Buhari, in January 2019, and never returned to office until he was convicted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over charges of breach of codes of conduct for public officers.

The President would later recognise Mr Onnochen’s voluntary resignation instead of the order of his removal from office by the CCT.

Mr. Onmoghen’s exit from office in January 2019 came almost two years before he was due for retirement in December 2020.

Mr. Muhammad, who was appointed to succeed Mr. Onnochen, is also leaving office 18 months ahead of his official retirement age in December 2024.

Two Justices of the Supreme who asked not to be named confirmed Mr. Muhammad’s resignation to PREMIUM Times on Monday.