Political Parties, The Courts And The Path To 2027

As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, it is important to remind all the actors involved in this process to act in a responsible manner and not engage in any untidy or sharp practice that may raise doubts or anxiety about the integrity of the elections. An impression that our democracy is under assault in any form whatsoever is enough to derail the exercise and create a perception of wrong-doing or deliberate mischief. In particular, two recent developments relating to the judiciary – the Justice Peter Lifu case in the matter of the proposed deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP) and 3 other political parties; and then the decision of the Federal High Court, Lokoja sitting as an appeal court over its December 10, 2025 decision on the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Both are unfortunate, especially as the judiciary is considered a temple of justice whose officers are expected to be above suspicion like Caesar’s wife. The judex have a bounden duty to cloak their judgements with the clean garment of fairness, impartiality and justice, no matter whose ox is gored. They are not to descend into the arena. But it is now more fashionable than ever for litigants and observers alike to impugn the integrity of our courts. They claim to know our judges. The pervasive perception is that a Nigerian judge can be bribed, and the judiciary which is supposed to be an independent arm of government has now been joined at the hips with the machinations of the Executive, the ruling party, or the highest bidder. The injury is self-inflicted. The rule of law is threatened in the eyes of the ordinary man on the street.

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