Concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s judiciary ahead of the 2027 general elections have intensified following a warning by retired Supreme Court Justice Amina Adamu Augie that corruption involving judges, lawyers and court officials is eroding public confidence in the administration of justice and turning some courts into what she described as “market stalls.”
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Justice Augie, speaking in Abuja during the 40th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Law School Class of 1986, said corrupt practices within the Bench, Bar and court registries had weakened the credibility of the justice system and damaged public perception of the legal profession.
Her remarks have triggered fresh concerns among lawyers, academics, politicians and civil society actors over the role the judiciary could play in resolving disputes arising from the 2027 elections.
Immediate past President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, warned that an election could only be as credible as the judicial system ultimately called upon to determine disputes arising from it.
Okaba said corruption within the justice system could affect the electoral process at the pre-election, election-day and post-election stages.
He argued that manipulation at court registries, including disappearance of files, delayed service of processes and improper handling of affidavits, could undermine electoral disputes even before voting takes place.
According to him, the National Judicial Council should act promptly on credible corruption allegations and ensure that judges facing unresolved corruption petitions are not deployed to election petition tribunals.
He also advocated live-streaming of tribunal proceedings and judgments, greater transparency within court registries and full digitalisation of filing systems with electronic time stamps, CCTV coverage and audit trails.
Okaba equally called on the Nigerian Bar Association to take disciplinary action against lawyers who facilitate judicial corruption rather than shielding them because of professional rank or influence.
“If we lose the courts before February 2027, we would have lost the election before the first vote is cast,” he warned.
Former Social Democratic Party chairman in Ondo State, Hon. Stephen Adewale, similarly warned that public confidence in elections could collapse if citizens believe political actors are capable of purchasing favourable judicial outcomes.
Adewale said allegations of corruption involving court registry officials were particularly dangerous where access to evidence or documents could be deliberately frustrated.
He urged the NJC to investigate credible complaints promptly and impose sanctions where misconduct is established, while lawyers, registry officials and politicians involved in bribery should also face appropriate consequences.
“No politician should be allowed to turn the courtroom into a final polling unit where money casts the deciding vote,” Adewale said.
Former Ekiti State Commissioner for Information and public analyst Lanre Ogunsuyi said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend not only on voting and collation but also on whether electoral disputes are determined by courts that are independent and impartial.
He warned that where judicial decisions are perceived to have been influenced by money or political pressure, losing candidates and their supporters may reject court decisions, with disputes potentially spilling into protests and political instability.
Ogunsuyi maintained that protecting electoral justice should therefore be regarded as a democratic imperative and that corruption within the justice system should be made difficult to perpetrate, easier to expose and impossible to excuse where established.
Convener of the South South Reawakening Group, Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, took an even harsher position, arguing that Justice Augie had been restrained in describing the extent of the problem.
He likened the situation to a “bazaar” where justice could be perceived as going to the highest bidder and questioned whether the judiciary could remain immune from corruption affecting other sectors of Nigerian society.
However, not all respondents believed judicial corruption would determine the outcome of the 2027 elections.
Convener of the Delta Democrats Forum, Ufuoma Atare, argued that the quality and trajectory of candidates presented by political parties would play a greater role in determining electoral outcomes.
He said Nigerians were increasingly prepared to vote according to their preferences regardless of financial inducements and therefore believed corruption could have a more limited effect on the outcome of the elections.
Human rights lawyer Jefferson Uwoghiren warned that when voters believe their votes may ultimately be undermined, confidence in democratic institutions could deteriorate and create conditions for violence and other anti-democratic behaviour.
Uwoghiren called for stronger institutional oversight, including possible intervention by the Senate Committee on Judiciary through public hearings into issues affecting confidence in the justice system.
He also said lawyers, judicial workers, senior government officials and wealthy individuals all had roles to play in either protecting or undermining judicial integrity.
Prof. Ekiyor Welson of the Centre for Philosophy and Development expressed an even deeper concern, arguing that public distrust in the judiciary could encourage political actors to insist that electoral outcomes must be conclusively determined at the polling units rather than through post-election litigation.
According to him, some opposition actors may become unwilling to rely on tribunals if they believe judicial intervention could distort the outcome determined by voters.
Former Secretary of the Civil Liberties Organisation in Bayelsa State, Alagoa Morris, said Justice Augie’s intervention was important because it amounted to criticism coming from someone who had served at the highest level of the judiciary.
Morris said the judiciary must purge itself of misconduct and rebuild public confidence, warning that society would be endangered if citizens ceased to see courts as institutions capable of administering justice impartially.
Chief Ola Amure also warned that allegations of corruption within the Bench, Bar and court registries posed a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
He said the consequences went beyond individual lawsuits because electoral disputes ultimately concern the constitutional rights of voters and candidates.
Amure called for transparent judicial appointments, investigation of credible allegations of corruption, prosecution of proven offenders and greater transparency within court registries.
“We must protect the ballot, defend the rule of law and restore public confidence in the administration of justice,” he said.
National President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, advocated greater use of technology, including electronic voting and real-time transmission of results, as a means of reducing opportunities for manipulation.
Pogu argued that elections should be sufficiently transparent for judicial intervention to focus principally on legitimate legal disputes rather than determining who actually won an election.
Chief Chris Biose, Chairman of the Delta State Obidient Elders Council, however, cautioned that neither technology nor laws alone could eliminate corruption where the people operating institutions lacked integrity.
He maintained that the quality of individuals within society ultimately determines whether institutions function effectively.
Former Vice Chairman of the NBA Ijebu Ode Branch, Moruff O. Balogun, said judicial integrity would be critical in ensuring that disputes arising from the 2027 elections are resolved fairly and in accordance with the law.
He maintained that electoral justice must be determined by law and evidence rather than money, political influence or intimidation.
NBA Ibadan Branch Chairman Kareem Adekola similarly warned that elections do not end with voting and collation because the credibility of the entire process also depends on public confidence that disputes will be independently and fairly adjudicated.
Human rights lawyer Niyi Aborisade said the consequences of a compromised judiciary could extend beyond individual election petitions to the legitimacy of democratic institutions themselves.
He called on the NJC and other relevant authorities to investigate credible allegations of judicial misconduct, ensure transparent disciplinary proceedings and protect judges who resist improper pressure.
Access-to-justice advocate Evelyn Ologbese also advocated digital filing, case-tracking systems, transparent court procedures and mechanisms for reporting bribery demands, while stressing that technology alone could not eliminate corruption.
She said restoring confidence required a justice system in which both the poor and powerful could expect equal treatment.
Former Senator Monsurat Sunmonu said political leaders equally had a responsibility to protect judicial independence and refrain from attempting to influence court proceedings.
She maintained that where judicial corruption is established, it could damage confidence in electoral outcomes regardless of which political party benefits.
According to her, the 2027 elections should strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions rather than deepen existing distrust.
The broader message emerging from the reactions is that electoral credibility in 2027 will depend not only on the conduct of INEC, political parties and security agencies but also on whether Nigerians trust the courts that may ultimately be required to resolve electoral disputes.
While the contributors differed on how much influence judicial corruption could ultimately have on the election outcome, most agreed that restoring confidence in the Bench, Bar and court registries before the polls would be critical to preserving the rule of law and public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
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