The National Judicial Council (NJC), has quietly conceded to President Buhari’s request to extend Justice Tanko Muhammad’s tenure as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria by another three months.
The decison extending Muhammad’s appointment, according to a statement from the council, was reached on Thursday April 18, 2019, at the Council’s 88 meeting.
Muhammad’s first three-month acting tenure which started when he was sworn in on January 25 following the President’s suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the CJN, expires on April 25 (Thursday).
President Buhari had on January 25, acting on the orders of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), swore in Justice Muhammad as Acting CJN.
The CCT in its Judgment delivered last Thursday April 18, 2019, convicted Onnoghen on all six count charge of false asset declaration and ordered Onnoghen’s removal from office as CJN.
Onnoghen had on April 4, 2019, sent his notice of retirement to the president. Buhari has not approved or disapproved the voluntary retirement.
All things being equal, Onnoghen’s tenure was supposed to have expired December 2020 when he would have attained the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.