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Kekere-Ekun: Nigeria’s second female CJN whose father was lawyer, senator

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Two years before Nigeria’s independence, in the heart of London, the United Kingdom, Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, a name that would resonate through the corridors of Nigeria’s justice system, was born.

But her roots are in Lagos, where both her parents are indigenes. Born on May 7, 1958. she is the eldest of eleven siblings in a polygamous home. Her father, Hassan Adisa Babatunde Fasinro, was also a lawyer and politician, while her mother, Winifred Layiwola Ogundimu (née Savage), is a UK-trained nurse.

 

Fasinro, popularly called HAB, was a senator representing Lagos in the second republic and the first clerk of the Lagos City Council. Having a father who is a lawyer may have influenced Kekere-Ekun’s passion for the legal profession.

 

She commenced her secondary education in 1970 at Queens College, Lagos, and studied law at the University of Lagos from 1977 to 1980. She then proceeded to the Nigerian Law School and was called to the bar in July 1981. After that, she underwent the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from 1981–82 at the ministry of justice in Benin City, Edo (then Bendel state).

Upon completing her service year, she proceeded to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), obtaining a master’s degree in law in 1983.

 

NIGERIA’S SECOND FEMALE CJN

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun

Kekere-Ekun’s father was a lawyer, senator, while her mother was a UK-trained nurse. Kekere-Ekun passed through the system, building capacity through every phase of her career to what would become its zenith in the Nigerian judicial space. She started her ascent on the ladder of the judicial hierarchy as a senior magistrate Grade II, Lagos, in December 1989 and rose to become a high court judge in July 1996.

 

As a high court judge, she served as chairperson of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Zone II, Ikeja, from November 1996 to May 1999, during which she delivered some landmark judgments.

 

She was then promoted to the court of appeals in September 2004 and served as a member of its ICT committee between 2011 and 2013.

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In 2013, Kekere-Ekun, fondly called Young Toks, was appointed a Supreme Court justice. She is the fifth and youngest female to be appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. She was made for this — to bring honour to her family, to women, to black women, and to her nation through hard work and servitude — a force to reckon with, a model worthy of emulating.

 

Kekere-Ekun is the second female to emerge as CJN in Nigeria after Aloma Mukhtar, who held the position between July 2012 and November 2014. Interestingly, it was Mukhtar who swore in Kekere-Ekun as a supreme court justice in 2013.

 

Kekere-Ekun was awarded a national honour as commander of the federal republic (CFR) in 2022.

Some describe her as incorruptible, apolitical, and a disciplinarian; others say Kekere-Ekun’s character is as revered as her strength. In an interview, Adegboyega Awomolo, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and chairman of the body of benchers, painted a portrait of a woman of impeccable integrity, a jurist unyielding in her pursuit of justice.

 

Awomolo said Kekere-Ekun is a disciplinarian and would make an exemplary chief justice.

 

“Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun is a disciplinarian. She is disciplined in every respect. She is not frivolous in any way. She is apolitical. In other words, she is not a politician. She is free of political encumbrance or baggage. Because she is free of that political garbage, she is going to be very professional. I can assure you. She will be very professional,” Awomolo said.

 

“She will be a disciplined Chief Justice of Nigeria and she will uphold the integrity and honour of the court and the judiciary as a whole. Nobody should take her for granted at all. Nobody should assume that he can control her. No, you cannot. I’m not particularly close to her but from my little experience, or knowledge of the way I see her, she is not frivolous at all, she is not open to corruption. She is not open to influence. She is not open to any bad behaviour.

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“So, I am expecting a Chief Justice of Nigeria that will do us proud, that will maintain the integrity of the bench, and that will work together with her colleagues in the Supreme Court. She is not politically inclined. I’m hoping that she would be an exemplary chief justice. Exemplary in character. Exemplary in professionalism. What else do we expect? Let’s wait for her time and applause when she leaves.”

 

KEKERE-EKUN’S ROLE IN UZODINMA VS IHEDIOHA SAGA

Kekere-Ekun read the ruling in the controversial case between Ihedioha and Uzodinma
The shadow of what most key observers have described as the most controversial judgement in Nigeria’s post-independence history, however, trails Kekere-Ekun’s profile.

The Imo state governorship election case, a watershed moment in Nigerian politics, saw her deliver a verdict that would put the legal system to the test and set precedence for future rulings.

Kekere-Ekun read the supreme court judgement in the January 2020 verdict that sacked Emeka Ihedioha and proclaimed Hope Uzodinma as lawful Imo state governor, based on claims that results from 388 polling units where Uzodinma led were not included in the original results.

 

Uzodinma, who came a distant fourth position in the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was declared winner of the poll in a unanimous decision by a seven-person panel which Kekere-Ekun was a part of.

 

As CJN, she will oversee the selection of judges who will hear and rule on any legal challenges arising from the 2027 general election.

 

She was also among the judges who sat on the hijab (head cover) controversy between the Lagos state government & others v. Asiyat Abdulkareem. The apex court overruled Lagos on its restriction of the use of hijab by female Muslim students of public schools in the state.

See also  Suspected robbery gang arrested in Imo

 

‘NIGERIANS SHOULD EMBRACE CHANGE’

Speaking in July 2016 during a public lecture with stakeholders in the legal profession, Kekere-Ekun said some Nigerians clamour for change but want “business as usual”.

 

She urged Nigerians to be ready to embrace and accept change when they see it, even if it does not appeal to their interests.

 

She also stressed the need for members of the judiciary to uphold the ethics of the profession and earn the trust of the people.

 

“As laudable as the objectives of this lecture are, nothing meaningful would be achieved unless we were sincerely ready to embrace change. I say this because this is the platform on which the present government was selected. We all say we want change but when signs of change are coming, we don’t seem to be comfortable with it. Many of us still want business as usual,” Kekere-Ekun said.

 

“Once the public loses confidence in the judiciary, the society will descend into chaos and anarchy. When there is a lack of confidence in the judiciary, it affects the nation’s ability to attract foreign direct investment which the country sorely needs at this time.

 

“It has an adverse effect on every aspect of our existence. As individual stakeholders, we must do our bit to improve access to justice in Nigeria. As judges, we must exercise our judicial powers in a fair, honest, transparent, efficient and effective manner without fear or favour.”

 

Kekere-Ekun is a life bencher and member of the International Association of Women Judges.

 

Beyond the courtroom, the jurist takes pleasure in reading, information technology and counselling.

 

All things being equal, Kekere-Ekun will be Nigeria’s CNJ for the next four years until May May 7, 2028, when she is due for retirement.

She is married to Akin Kekere-Ekun and blessed with three children.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: PCC inauguration: APC banks on Tinubu’s record for re-election

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1. The All Progressives Congress on Wednesday inaugurated its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election, expressing confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s record and reforms while rallying party leaders and politicians from other political parties to secure his re-election.

The inauguration and federation general assembly, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, drew opposition figures who pledged to back his re-election bid.

2. The re-election campaign will not stop governance because the economy needs all hands on the plough, the President declared yesterday. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spoke at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the inauguration of his Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the January 16, 2027 election, an event that turned into a political carnival.


3. The Federal Government has approved plans to build a new eastern-western electricity grid as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s recurring power grid collapses. The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this at the recent HBSAN energy conference in Lagos, where he outlined plans to address longstanding weaknesses in the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure.

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4. Popular gospel singer, Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, has passed away. His family confirmed the news in a public announcement shared on his verified Instagram page on Wednesday night.
According to the statement, the gospel minister passed away in the early hours of Wednesday, October 14, 2026



5. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said algorithms will not determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the decision on who governs Nigeria rests solely with voters. He warned that although artificial intelligence could influence electoral administration and the information available to voters, the technology must remain subordinate to human judgment and democratic institutions.

6. Inspector-General of Police (IGP)  Olatunji  Disu  has assured Nigerians that the police will demonstrate professionalism before, during and after the 2027 general election.
Disu said the police  reviewed their performances in recent elections and would  apply  the lessons learned in order to make Nigerians proud.



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7. The Federal Government has proposed a new examination timetable that will see candidates sitting the 2027 West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and other major external examinations receive their results by August, ahead of the September admission process into tertiary institutions.

8. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has urged All Progressives Congress, APC, governors to work hard in their respective states to ensure President Bola Tinubu wins next year’s election. Speaking at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike said any governor who failed to deliver his state for the President should not join others in claiming victory if Tinubu is re-elected in 2027.

9. The Kwara State Police Command has arrested four men in connection with two separate incidents involving the alleged removal of human heads from exhumed graves and the possession of suspected human hands allegedly intended for money-making rituals. The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, disclosed the arrests on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Ilorin, where he provided details of the investigations into the two cases.

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10. The Police Special Fraud Unit in Lagos State has arraigned a banker and seven other defendants before the Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged N710 million proof-of-funds fraud. The defendants — Elvis Osazee Eghile, Egharevba MaryJane Osarieyekemwen, Precious Omonigho Irbhogbe, Aghatise Kelvin Uhuenkpoewen, Nweke Nnamdi Emmanuel, Obinyan Esther, Egharevba Emmanuel Osagioduwa and Emmanuel Obinyan Osenonome — were arraigned on a 12-count charge.

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‘Delusion of grandeur’ — Shettima calls Peter Obi master of bogus statistics

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Vice President Kashim Shettima has knocked former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, describing him as “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions”.

Shettima made the remark on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Calling Obi “my very good friend”, the Vice President mocked his habit of comparing Nigeria with other countries, especially Bangladesh.

Shettima stated. “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”

He said Obi’s “fascination with foreign comparisons overlooks the peculiarities that distinguish one nation from another”.

According to Shettima, “Governance is an art that demands mastery of context, whether social, economic, political or institutional.

“What succeeds in Bangladesh cannot simply be transplanted to Nigeria without accounting for the differences in our population, economic structures, institutions and national circumstances.

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“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities.”

The VP said he respected Obi but accused him of making a “bogus claim” about winning the 2023 presidential election without evidence to support the assertion.

“This is called delusion of grandeur.
Our contest is with the politics of yesterday dressed as tomorrow’s deliverance,” he said.

Obi has frequently cited Bangladesh in his criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic management, including its borrowing.

In February, he said Nigeria’s challenge was fund mismanagement, not borrowing.

Obi ran as the Labour Party candidate in 2023 and finished third behind Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.

He challenged Tinubu’s victory in court, and the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal and affirmed Tinubu’s election in October 2023.

Obi is seeking the presidency again in the election on January 16, 2027, on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

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The APC will flag off its campaign in Kaduna on October 24.

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El-Rufai’s associates earmarked $600,000 to compromise EFCC probe, DSS witness tells court

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A forensic investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS), Segun Kayode, has told a Kaduna state high court, sitting in Kawoa, that Nasir el-Rufai, former Kaduna state governor, and some of his associates earmarked $600,000 to pay officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and intermediaries.

Kayode, who is the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, made the allegation on Tuesday while testifying before the court presided over by Justice Darius Khobo.

According to the witness, $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly set aside for the payments, adding that forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving el-Rufai and some of his suspected associates.

According to Kayode, the recorded conversations centred on alleged efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.

He said a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), another individual and Bashir el-Rufai, were among those allegedly mentioned in the conversations.

Kayode told the court that the SAN and the other individual were allegedly directed to meet one Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company, with the intention of applying a similar process to Singularity.

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The investigator further alleged that the discussions included plans to liquidate the company in Nigeria and Mauritius, where it was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.

He also alleged that the recordings contained discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating a company he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The allegations formed part of the prosecution’s evidence against the former governor and have yet to be established by the court.

Proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26pm to 8:18pm, with about two hours devoted to playing the recorded conversations.

After Kayode submitted a hard copy of his findings to the court clerk, the defence objected, saying the document should have been served earlier to allow the legal team to study its contents.

The judge ruled that the defence could obtain a certified true copy of the document admitted as Exhibit One for examination.

The court adjourned the case until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination, following agreement by the prosecution and defence.

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Recall that El-Rufai is facingtrial over alleged money laundering and conversion of public property.

The DSS is also prosecuting the former governor before the federal high court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.

He has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19, after being released by the EFCC.

On April 13, the ICPC arraignedthe former governor at the Kaduna high court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.

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