Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a scathing critique of Nigeria’s judiciary, alleging widespread corruption among judges and warning that the system has devolved into a “court of corruption rather than a court of justice.” In his new book, “Nigeria: Past and Future,” published by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Obasanjo expresses deep concern over the steady decline of the judiciary’s integrity since the onset of the Fourth Republic.

Obasanjo’s remarks have sparked a significant conversation about the role of the judiciary in Nigeria’s development and the need for reform to restore public trust in the institution.

“The reputation of the Nigerian judiciary has steadily gone down from the four eras up till today. The rapidity of the precipitous fall, particularly in the Fourth Republic, is lamentable,” Obasanjo wrote.

Obasanjo also leveled serious allegations against Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, accusing him of compromising the electoral process since 2015. According to Obasanjo, Yakubu has “polluted and grossly undermined” elections, rendering them a “charade,” and usurping the will of the people. These comments have sparked intense debate about the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system and the role of its institutions.

“No matter what the will of the people may be, the Chairman of INEC since after the 2015 election had made his will greater and more important than the will of the people,” Obasanjo wrote. “And worse still is the will of the judges – two out of three, three out of five corruptly overriding the will of millions of voters.”

The former president further accused late former President Muhammadu Buhari of colluding with the judiciary during his election petitions, claiming he secured favourable judgments through financial inducements and political appointments.

“Buhari threw caution to the wind, no matter what had transpired between him and the judges who did his bidding. In his election cases, financially, he topped it up with appointments for them no matter their age and their ranks,” Obasanjo wrote.

He condemned a pattern where false declarations of election results make losers winners and vice versa, only for aggrieved candidates to be told to seek redress in what he described as “a court of corruption rather than a court of justice.“