Your Compromise Of Justice Has Eroded Public Confidence, El-Rufai Slams Nigerian Judges
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has criticised Nigeria’s judiciary, accusing judges and lawyers of compromising their sacred duty to uphold justice, thereby fueling a nationwide crisis of public distrust.
Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Bwari Branch’s Law Week in Abuja on Monday, May 19, 2025, El-Rufai did not mince words as he blamed systemic corruption, judicial bias, and procedural inefficiencies for what he described as the judiciary’s dwindling credibility in the eyes of ordinary Nigerians.
“In parallel, our judiciary—meant to be the bedrock of fairness and order—is under intense scrutiny. Concerns about delayed justice, procedural inefficiencies, and in some cases, judicial compromise (to put the matter delicately), erode public confidence,” he said.
The former governor condemned the rising use of ex parte orders in political disputes, asserting that these judicial shortcuts are often exploited by powerful actors seeking to manipulate outcomes.
He also criticised the rampant practice of “forum shopping,” where litigants deliberately select favorable courts to sway verdicts.
According to El-Rufai, such actions create a dangerous impression that justice is for sale—reserved only for the rich, powerful, and politically connected.
“The rise in ‘forum shopping,’ the weaponisation of ex parte orders in political matters, and the growing perception that justice is for sale and available only to the rich and the powerful would cause the perceptive observer to conclude that what Nigerian courts do is the administration of law and not the administration of justice,” El-Rufai added.
He also argued that there is a stark disconnect between legal processes and actual justice in the country, stressing that the judiciary has become subservient to the executive arm of government.
“In Nigeria, there is a seemingly unbridgeable gulf between law and justice. Not only is justice wanting, but the law that is administered seems to be according to the wishes of the Executive,” he said.
El-Rufai called on legal practitioners to reflect critically on their roles and recommit themselves to upholding impartial justice.
“The demand on you, as practitioners in the Temple of Justice, is a sober introspection as you contemplate whether indeed Justitia is blind and whether she holds the scales of justice in fine balance.”
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
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