Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has raised alarm over what he describes as the “deeply compromised” state of Nigeria’s judiciary, accusing it of becoming a “court of corruption rather than a court of justice.” The remarks were made in his newly released book, *Nigeria: Past and Future*, published by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
In the book, Obasanjo decried the “steady decline of the judiciary’s integrity,” particularly highlighting its rapid deterioration during Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. “The reputation of the Nigerian judiciary has steadily gone down from the four eras up till today. The rapidity of the precipitous fall is lamentable,” he wrote.
The former military Head of State further alleged that justice in Nigeria has become a commodity, available only to the highest bidder, warning that this trend threatens national stability. “Where ‘justice’ is only available to the highest bidder, despair, anarchy, and violence would substitute justice, order, and hope,” Obasanjo stated.
Citing an example, Obasanjo recounted a visit to a northern state about a decade after leaving office, where a governor pointed out six duplex buildings allegedly built by a judge using funds earned from chairing election tribunals.
Obasanjo also took aim at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing its Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, of undermining Nigeria’s electoral process since 2015. “No wonder politicians do not put much confidence in an election which the INEC of Professor Mahmood Yakubu polluted and grossly undermined to make a charade,” he wrote.
The former president’s remarks have sparked renewed debate about the state of Nigeria’s judiciary and electoral system, with calls for urgent reforms to restore public trust.
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