by Lekan Olanrewaju

Score one for the girls! Well, almost. Nigeria may be on the verge of getting it’s first female chief justice, come July this year.

Current Chief Justice Dahiru Musdapher is set to resign on 14 July, and ahead of that, he has nominated a female judge to succeed him. Musdapher has written the National Judicial Council to give the required 3 months notice, and he nominated a female justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mariam Mukhtar Aloma.

Rumours had previously suggested that Musdapher had already resigned, but he quashed these in a statement by his media advisor, Mohammed Adamu.

“The Honorable, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, contrary to speculations, has not resigned his appointment.” the statement read.

“The CJN had, on 11th April, 2012, written to the National Judicial Council, to give three months notice of his retirement from service as a Judicial Officer.

This, as the CJN indicated, is so ‘that the necessary processes will be commenced early enough to enable the swearing of a new Chief Justice’ by the 16th of July 2012.

It is public knowledge that by the provisions of Section 291(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the CJN shall cease to be a Judicial Officer come 14 July, 2012 when he would be 70 years.”