Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has warned politicians, lawyers, judicial officers and other stakeholders against using the courts as extensions of political battles, stressing that intimidation, misinformation, conflicting court orders and abuse of judicial processes pose serious threats to the country’s democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) gave the warning during the swearing-in ceremony of 375 judicial officers appointed to serve on election petition tribunals across the country. The event also featured the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop for Justices of the Court of Appeal and members of election petition tribunals at the Body of Benchers Complex in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, Kekere-Ekun maintained that election petitions must be determined strictly on the basis of credible evidence, relevant laws and constitutional provisions, rather than political pressure, public sentiment or the popularity of candidates.
She cautioned politicians, political parties, public officials and social media users against attempting to influence judicial decisions through intimidation, inflammatory statements, deliberate misinformation or campaigns capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
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According to the CJN, the judicial process must not become a continuation of political campaigns by other means, insisting that the popularity of a candidate or the volume of public opinion cannot replace credible evidence presented before a court.
She also expressed concern over the increasing use of social media to attack judicial officers and influence public perception of pending cases, urging media organisations to maintain professionalism and exercise restraint when reporting judicial proceedings.
Kekere-Ekun further condemned the practice of filing multiple suits and appeals over the same subject matter, obtaining conflicting orders from courts of coordinate jurisdiction and using ex parte applications to gain tactical advantages in political disputes.
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She charged the newly appointed tribunal members to remain impartial, courageous and committed to the rule of law, regardless of the personalities and political interests involved in the cases before them.
INEC Raises Alarm Over AI-Generated Fake News Ahead of 2027 Elections
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has raised concerns over the growing threat posed by artificial intelligence-generated disinformation, deepfake videos and manipulated electronic evidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan warned that technological developments had introduced new dimensions to electoral malpractice, moving beyond traditional threats such as ballot snatching and physical intimidation.
He identified several potential dangers, including AI-generated messages falsely announcing the relocation or cancellation of polling units, fabricated audio and video recordings circulated during the statutory campaign broadcast blackout, and manipulated videos of returning officers allegedly announcing election results before the completion of collation.
According to the INEC chairman, such fabricated materials could be presented before election tribunals as genuine evidence of electoral malpractice.
He also highlighted the danger of genuine recordings being dismissed as artificial intelligence-generated content, a phenomenon known as the “Liar’s Dividend”, which could make the authentication of electronic evidence increasingly difficult.
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Amupitan urged judicial officers to apply rigorous evidential standards under Section 84 of the Evidence Act, particularly regarding the verification of digital evidence, forensic chains of custody and the authenticity of certified electoral records.
He stressed that electronic evidence from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), result sheets and voters’ registers must be carefully examined to establish its authenticity and reliability.
He maintained that electronic evidence should neither be regarded as automatically reliable nor dismissed simply because it exists in digital form.
The INEC chairman also drew attention to Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, which addresses electronic transmission of polling-unit results and the legal implications of communication failures.
He noted that the interpretation of the provision could become a significant issue in future election petitions.
AGF Calls for Special Code of Conduct for Election Lawyers
Also speaking at the event, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to introduce a special code of conduct for lawyers handling election petitions and pre-election matters.
Fagbemi said the proposed code would help address professional misconduct, unethical practices and the abuse of judicial processes during electoral disputes.
He emphasised that courts should remain institutions for the fair and impartial resolution of disputes rather than platforms for unnecessary controversy and professional misconduct.
The Attorney-General also highlighted important changes introduced by the Electoral Act 2026, particularly provisions affecting election petitions, political party primaries, campaign financing and electoral administration.
He explained that Section 138(1) restricts election petitions to allegations involving corrupt practices, non-compliance with the Electoral Act and failure to secure a majority of lawful votes cast, while removing candidate disqualification as an express ground for challenging an election after the polls.
According to Fagbemi, disputes concerning candidates’ qualifications would consequently have to be addressed largely through pre-election proceedings.
He also referenced Sections 83(5) and 83(6), which restrict judicial intervention in certain internal political party disputes and provide for costs of not less than N10 million each against litigants and their counsel in specified circumstances.
On political party primaries, Fagbemi explained that the law had abolished indirect primaries, leaving direct primaries and consensus arrangements as the recognised methods of selecting candidates.
He further disclosed that campaign expenditure limits had been increased to N10 billion for presidential candidates and N3 billion for governorship candidates, while the maximum individual donation to a candidate had risen from N50 million to N500 million.
Political parties are also required to maintain digital membership registers and submit them to INEC at least 21 days before primaries, congresses or conventions.
Fagbemi warned that erroneous judicial decisions could have serious consequences for governance and democratic stability, noting that a wrong decision could take another four years to correct.
375 Judicial Officers Appointed for Election Tribunals
Earlier, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, disclosed that 375 judicial officers had been nominated to serve on election petition tribunals across the country.
She revealed that 138 of the nominated officers had previously served on election tribunals, while 237 were newly appointed.
Dongban-Mensem said the nominations followed consultations with Heads of Courts and the Nigerian Bar Association, describing the appointments as a call to service rather than a privilege.
She urged the officers to resist political pressure, inducements, intimidation, personal relationships and any other considerations capable of compromising their independence and impartiality.
The Court of Appeal President also cautioned against unnecessary adjournments and procedural delays, stressing that the speedy determination of election petitions must not come at the expense of fairness and the right to a fair hearing.
She disclosed that a centralised Case Management System had been developed to facilitate the scanning, uploading and storage of judicial decisions.
An Electronic Filing Portal had also been introduced to make the filing and service of court processes more efficient while improving record-keeping and monitoring of election petition proceedings across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Judicial Electoral Manual 2026 Unveiled
A major highlight of the ceremony was the unveiling of the second edition of the Judicial Electoral Manual 2026 by the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The manual contains relevant constitutional provisions, sections of the Electoral Act, practice directions and decided cases intended to guide judicial officers in handling electoral disputes.
While welcoming the publication, Kekere-Ekun cautioned that the manual should not replace independent judicial reasoning or the responsibility of judges to make decisions based on the facts and applicable laws in individual cases.
Amupitan described the manual as an important guide for promoting consistency in the adjudication of election petitions, while Fagbemi expressed optimism that it would improve the quality of judicial decisions and interpretation of electoral laws.
With Nigeria’s presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections fixed for February 6, 2027, stakeholders are expected to play critical roles in ensuring credible elections and peaceful dispute resolution.
The officials maintained that the credibility of the 2027 electoral process would depend not only on effective election administration but also on an independent judiciary capable of resolving disputes fairly, impartially and within the provisions of the law.
