Prominent activist and human rights advocate Aisha Yesufu has issued a scathing rebuke of Nigeria’s judicial system, accusing it of failing both the constitution and the Nigerian people. In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, July 28, 2025, she expressed deep concern over recent controversial court rulings, including the case involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s ongoing efforts to reclaim her seat at the National Assembly.
Yesufu argued that the judiciary has lost its credibility and independence, and is now largely controlled by corrupt political interests.
“Our Nigerian judiciary, they should wake up,” she declared. “They’ve failed the system, they’ve failed the country, they’ve failed even the oath that they swore.”
Once viewed as the last line of defense for the ordinary citizen, the judiciary, according to Yesufu, has become increasingly compromised and disregarded by both state institutions and influential political actors.
“The Nigerian judiciary that is supposed to be the last resort of the common man, is now the plaything of corrupt politicians and they are so brazen in the way that they show that off. And they don’t care, they don’t follow the rules,” she said.
Citing specific incidents, she condemned the National Assembly’s open defiance of court injunctions, such as those aimed at halting the suspension of some legislators.
“They didn’t listen, they didn’t bother,” Yesufu remarked, noting that such behavior weakens judicial authority and fuels a culture of impunity.
She further criticized what she termed “selective obedience” to court decisions by various government institutions.
“We’ve had a situation whereby a lot of institutions decide what rulings of the courts they’re going to obey. And that’s a problem,” she said.
Even more concerning, she added, is the judiciary’s apparent susceptibility to external influence, especially from powerful politicians.
“Politicians are the ones dictating a lot of things for our judiciary,” Yesufu asserted.
Calling for urgent reforms, she urged the judiciary to initiate internal changes aimed at restoring public confidence, impartiality, and the true spirit of justice.
“The judiciary in itself should sit up and on its own begin to reorganise itself in a way that it’s more effective for the people, and that the common man will have a place of solace and not what we currently have right now, where the politicians will look you in your face and tell you to go to court, because they know they own the courts,” she concluded.
Yesufu’s remarks reflect growing public frustration with Nigeria’s justice system and amplify calls for sweeping reform in order to protect democratic integrity and the rule of law.
