According to human rights lawyer and former National Human Rights Commission head Chidi Odinkalu, politicians are increasingly turning to the courts for political gain rather than to seek justice. Odinkalu claims that many legal actions now seek to sow political confusion.
In response to the current political disagreements and litigations in Nigeria, Odinkalu made the comments, expressing concern that the judiciary is being used for political gain more and more.
“Desperate politicians in Nigeria today are ever out to secure party political advantage in contest for power, regardless of how unjust,” he observed, adding that the court system has become a convenient weapon in their hands.
He claims that many politicians nowadays seek for judicial declarations to create legitimacy, weaken opponents, and postpone processes rather than to fairly resolve issues.
These days, politicians in Nigeria who go to court do not seek justice through lawsuits. The purpose of filing them, according to Odinkalu, is to “create legitimacy through judicial pronouncement rather than popular mandate,” “buy time,” “destabilise opponents,” and so on.
The scholar of law characterised the movement as “the judicial route to anarchy,” using language similar to that of a recent piece by critic Olusegun Adeniyi.
His remarks follow a flurry of litigation about party structures, leadership disagreements, and defections in the run-up to the 2027 general election.
Legal decisions in political competitions in Nigeria have the potential to influence party leadership and voter turnout, according to political observers. This trend reflects underlying conflicts in the country’s democratic structure.
Following Odinkalu’s comments, there has been online debate about whether or not litigation is still a valid democratic means of settling political issues; some Nigerians feel that the courts are becoming too politicised, while others disagree…….See More
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