A retired Supreme Court Justice, Amina Adamu Augie, has sounded the alarm. She said corruption among judges, lawyers and court officials is transforming the courts into what she called “market stalls”. Her warning has renewed a debate about the judiciary’s role in elections. The concern is not abstract. It goes to the heart of how Nigerians choose their leaders.
Nigeria’s courts have long decided election outcomes. In 2019 and 2023, tribunals and appellate courts resolved disputes that shaped governments. In 2026, former President Goodluck Jonathan warned that politicians now rush to court because they believe judges can be manipulated. The immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, said courts are gradually usurping voters' power. The Economist once described Nigeria as a “democracy by court order”. The phrase has aged well.
Augie’s remarks came at a time of declining public confidence. The BusinessDay report noted that distrust in the judiciary could undermine the legitimacy of the 2027 general election. Vanguard reported that analysts and civil society figures said if the courts are lost, the election is lost before the first vote is cast. The concern is that technicalities, not ballots, decide winners. The legal framework allows courts to overturn results. The question is whether they do so fairly.
The judiciary has faced repeated allegations of compromise. In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election. The opposition rejected the ruling. The current cycle has already produced disputes over voter registers and candidate lists. The courts will be busy again in 2027. Public trust is the casualty.
Winners: Politicians who can afford expensive legal teams. Lawyers who profit from election litigation. Judges who resist pressure, if they exist. Losers: Voters, whose ballots matter less. INEC, whose results are challenged. The judiciary, whose credibility erodes. Democracy, which depends on trust. Nigerians who see the courts as another marketplace.
Bottom Line: A retired justice said the courts are market stalls. If she is right, the highest bidder will decide the 2027 election. The judiciary must prove her wrong. Trust is not given. It is earned.