Ex-NBA President Osigwe Critiques Courts' Role in Elections

Mazi Afam Osigwe, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, addressed concerns regarding the increasing reliance on courts by politicians to secure electoral victories rather than winning voter support. Speaking at the 22nd Nigeria Guild of Editors Conference in Enugu, he criticized the "judicialisation of Nigeria’s electoral process," asserting that controversial legal technicalities have shifted the power of determining election outcomes from voters to the judiciary.

Osigwe noted that Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of election petitions globally, and the delays in judicial processes exacerbate electoral disputes. He linked declining voter turnout to a belief that votes do not influence outcomes, citing instances of electoral malpractice, including bribery and the manipulation of results.

He also condemned the treatment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal by the courts, which he claimed undermined electoral innovations. Osigwe warned that without reforming the electoral and legal systems, public confidence in democracy could further erode.