ABUJA/Nigeria: A coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) staged a peaceful protest in Abuja on Monday, calling on authorities to address the alleged politicization of the judiciary. The demonstrators, carrying banners with inscriptions such as “Enough of crooked court orders” and “Corrupt judges must be expunged from the system now,” marched from the Federal Secretariat complex to the Court of Appeal to express their grievances.
Chief Convener of the coalition, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, submitted a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC), highlighting controversial judicial decisions in Benue and Rivers states as evidence of politically motivated rulings. He particularly accused the Benue State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, and Justice M.M. Adamu of the Abuja High Court of acting in violation of established legal principles.
The protesters condemned Justice Ikpambese for allegedly waiving a mandatory security deposit required for petitioners at the Local Government Election Tribunal in Benue State, and for relocating the tribunal to Abuja in violation of state electoral laws. They also criticized Justice Adamu for issuing an order permitting the tribunal to sit in Abuja, despite an earlier Federal High Court ruling in Makurdi restraining such action.
Accusing the judiciary of undermining democratic principles, the coalition called on Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekereke-Ekun, and the NJC to take immediate action against judges engaging in political interference. They also urged President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to intervene in the Benue State judicial crisis to prevent further anarchy.
Citing the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Rivers State, which declared Matthew Amaewhule as Speaker of the House of Assembly despite ongoing legal proceedings in lower courts, the protesters decried what they described as judicial overreach. They further criticized the Federal Government’s failure to implement the ECOWAS Court’s ruling awarding damages to victims of the 2020 EndSARS protests.
The coalition warned that failure to address these judicial infractions could erode public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system, calling for immediate reforms to restore its credibility.
