Nigeria’s Chief Justice Urges Impartiality in Election Cases

Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun urged judges to maintain strict impartiality in election disputes as the Supreme Court opened its 2026-2027 legal year on October 12, warning against political associations or conduct that could create an appearance of bias. Addressing the court in Abuja, Kekere-Ekun said election cases carry significant consequences and require judges to act with restraint and fidelity to the law. Her remarks came ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, which one account described as scheduled for January. She said judicial officers’ words and actions during an electoral period would face scrutiny. She also called on lawyers to disclose related cases already pending in other courts and avoid forum shopping or filing multiple proceedings seeking substantially similar relief. Kekere-Ekun said those practices could produce conflicting orders, disrupt the orderly administration of justice and create an impression that litigants were seeking a preferred result rather than a decision based on law. She warned that a heavy concentration of political cases could delay other claims awaiting the courts’ attention.