The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, on Monday, asked Olasunbo Goodluck, one of the 18 newly sworn-in justices of the Court of Appeal to retake her oath of office because she replaced “God” with “Allah” in the officially recognised concluding remark.
Justice Goodluck who hails from Lagos, South-west Nigeria, broke the “So help me God” rule.
As the Justice walked away from the microphone, the CJN ordered Justice Goodluck to return to the podium and say, “So help me God.”
The inauguration was earlier scheduled to take place in April but had to be postponed due to the nationwide strike of the members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
The strike embarked upon by judiciary workers to press for the financial autonomy of the judiciary started on April 6 and went on to ground Nigerian courts and relevant institutions for over two months.
President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of the judges following their recommendation by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, struck out a suit demanding three slots for the South-east region in the process of appointing the 18 judges.