Former president slams judges, INEC in new book
Olusegun Obasanjo isn’t holding back. In his new book Nigeria: Past and Future, the former Nigerian president says the country’s judicial system is riddled with corruption — and it’s threatening national stability.
Obasanjo claims that justice in Nigeria has been “commodified”, sold to the highest bidder, and that courts are now seen as “courts of corruption” instead of courts of justice.
“Justice is for sale” — Obasanjo
In the book, Obasanjo describes a troubling personal encounter:
“The governor pointed to a row of six duplexes and told me they belonged to a judge — built from election tribunal money.”
He adds that under the Fourth Republic, the reputation of the judiciary has gone into “precipitous decline.”
INEC chief also in the crosshairs
Obasanjo didn’t stop at the judiciary. He also took aim at INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, accusing him of “polluting and undermining” Nigeria’s elections since taking over in 2015.
“No wonder politicians have lost confidence in the electoral process,” Obasanjo wrote.
What it means
For Obasanjo, the consequences of a broken justice system are dire:
“Where justice is only available to the highest bidder, despair, anarchy, and violence will follow.”
His comments come at a time when public trust in Nigeria’s institutions — from the courts to the ballot box — is already hanging by a thread.
