Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has leveled serious accusations against the Nigerian judiciary, describing it as corrupt, inefficient, and increasingly subservient to political interests.
Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Bwari Branch Law Week in Abuja on Monday, El-Rufai criticized the judiciary for what he termed a growing disconnection from the core principles of justice. According to him, many judges and lawyers have compromised their integrity, leading to a deepening erosion of public trust.
“In parallel, our judiciary, meant to be the bedrock of fairness and order, is under intense scrutiny,” El-Rufai said. “Concerns about delayed justice, procedural inefficiencies, and in some cases, judicial compromise (to put the matter delicately), erode public confidence.”
He expressed alarm over the rising trend of forum shopping and what he called the “weaponisation” of ex parte orders in political cases, arguing that these tactics are being used to manipulate legal outcomes for partisan advantage.
“The growing perception that justice is for sale and available only to the rich and powerful would cause the perceptive observer to conclude that what Nigerian courts do is the administration of law, not the administration of justice,” he stated.
El-Rufai further accused the judiciary of bending to the wishes of the executive, noting what he described as an “unbridgeable gulf” between the law as practiced and actual justice delivered to ordinary citizens.
Calling for systemic reform, the former governor urged legal practitioners to reflect on their responsibilities and recommit to defending the integrity of the judicial system.
