Judges, lawyers have compromised their duty to deliver justice – El-Rufai

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has accused the Nigerian judiciary of widespread corruption and bias, claiming that many judges and lawyers have compromised their duty to deliver justice.

Speaking on Monday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Bwari Branch Law Week in Abuja, El-Rufai said the judiciary is increasingly losing the trust of the Nigerian people due to delays in justice delivery and rulings often seen as influenced by external forces.

“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.

El-Rufai also condemned the rising use of ex parte orders in political disputes and accused some lawyers of manipulating the judicial process for partisan gain.

“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,” he said.

The ex-governor further argued that the judiciary has become subservient to the executive, with a widening gap between legal outcomes and actual justice.

“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.

Calling for reform, El-Rufai urged legal professionals to critically assess their roles and recommit to upholding the ideals of justice.