Photo caption: Prof. Attahiru Jega
Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s judiciary, stressing the need to mandate the resolution of all election-related disputes before the swearing-in of elected executives.
Speaking in Lagos during a public forum to celebrate June 12 Democracy Day on Thursday, Jega criticised the current judicial process surrounding elections, describing it as slow, compromised, and in need of immediate reform to restore public confidence.
He said, “The Nigerian judiciary needs to be urgently reformed. Globally, the judiciary is said to be the last bastion of hope for the common man. In the Nigerian context, it is really far, far, far from being the bastion of hope for the common man.”
He decried the recruitment process into the judiciary, which he alleged has been undermined by cronyism and a lack of proper vetting, leading to the appointment of individuals without competence or integrity.
Jega advocated for institutional changes that would make it compulsory to conclude all legal contests around elections before elected officials are sworn into office.
“It should be made mandatory that all election disputes are resolved before swearing in of elected executives,” he said, adding that the judiciary must play a non-partisan and impartial role, with greater speed in the dispensation of justice.
The former INEC boss also expressed concern over contradictory court orders, which he said undermine judicial integrity and electoral justice.
“Contradictory orders and the injunctions issued by courts of competent jurisdiction should also be proscribed,” he said.
Jega further called attention to the long delays often associated with pre-election cases, citing instances where legal challenges lasted years after elections were concluded and officials had been inaugurated.
“A situation in which a pre-election matter can last three, four years before it is addressed—long after the wrongly sworn-in person has been there—is terrible,” he stated.
Recalling his time at INEC, Jega said, “I recall a case when I was at INEC. Somebody elected in 2011 and the pre-election dispute lasted until 2014. By that time, he had been a member of the National Assembly receiving all the perquisites.”
He emphasised that unless deliberate steps are taken to address these issues, the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic and judicial systems will continue to erode.
