Posted by Chinenye on Tue 10th Nov, 2026 - tori.ng
Nigeria's top legal officials have warned judges handling the 2027 election cases not to allow politicians or powerful people to influence their decisions.
(Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi. Photo Credit: Punch News)
Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi and Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun have warned the judges who will sit on the 2027 election tribunals to stay clear of political pressure, threats and outside influence.
They spoke in Abuja on Monday at the opening of a three-day training workshop for judges and Court of Appeal justices.
Fagbemi said a wrong ruling could take years to undo, so justice must be seen to be done.
He urged judges not to bow to politics, public opinion, media pressure or powerful people.
He also pointed to two sections of the Electoral Act 2026.
One says courts cannot hear disputes about a party's internal affairs, and the other sets a minimum cost of N10 million against litigants and lawyers who bring certain such cases.
He said these rules will need careful interpretation. He also suggested setting up extra panels in states that expect a large number of petitions, so cases can be decided on time.
The Chief Justice warned lawyers not to file repeated cases on the same issues, chase conflicting court orders or use secret applications for an advantage.
She said courtrooms must not become part of the political fight and that cases must be decided on evidence and law, not on how popular a candidate is.
She also warned politicians and their supporters against intimidating judges, and asked officials and social media users to avoid commenting on cases still before the courts.
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan, a senior advocate, said Nigeria's election stability matters across Africa.
He warned that AI tools such as fake audio, deepfake videos and cloned officials' voices could be used to mislead voters and stir unrest.
He said tribunals will need strict standards for checking digital evidence and listed likely disputes, including electronic result transmission, the BVAS accreditation device, the INEC results portal, party primaries and candidate nominations.
Court of Appeal President Monica Dongban-Mensem reminded the 375 nominated judges, 138 of whom have served before, that the job is a duty and not a privilege.
She warned against unnecessary adjournments while stressing that every party must still get a fair hearing.
She also said the court has introduced a case management system and an electronic filing portal to speed up election cases.
(Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun. Photo Credit: Punch News)