President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekum, have been called to save the nation’s judiciary.
In his speech, Monday, at the #Save the Nigerian Judiciary Rally in Abuja, the Chief Convener, Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, noted that the court in Nigeria has become more politicised than registered political parties.
Ude-Umanta explained that they are here to submit a petition against Justice Maurice Ikpambese and Justice M. M Adamu who by their actions have converted the title of justice to injustice. 
He said: “We demand urgent intervention of Hon. Justice Kekere-ekun, we demand the intervention of Mr. President, we demand that NJC call its members involved in the ongoing crisis to order in the interest of peace and justice in Benue State.
The strength of every democracy is the judiciary. The court of law is supposed to be the arbiter of justice where the constitution is interpreted without bias, but today, the reverse is the case.
The court in Nigeria has become more politicised than registered political parties.
“How on earth could a Chief Judge of a state fragrantly abuse his office by flaunting the state laws and the National Judicial Council (NJC) is quiet? Justice Maurice Ikpambese, the Chief Judge of Benue State unilaterally granted a waver to petitioners of Local Government Election Tribunal not to pay security deposit, a constitutional prerequisite for any valid petition and he is not been sanctioned.
“On the strength of the refusal of the NJC to punish him, he again violated the Electoral Laws of Benue State when he relocated the Local Government Elections Petition Tribunal to Abuja which is clearly off territorial jurisdiction in clear violation of the Benue State Electoral Law, yet the NJC is just watching.
“In an attempt to protect the constitution of Nigeria and the laws of Benue State, the Attorney General of Benue State approached the Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi which granted an order restraining the Tribunal from sitting anywhere outside Benue State including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) house Abuja.
This order was granted on the 7th of March 2025 to the admiration of Nigerians.
“Surprisingly, on Friday 14th March 2025, an FCT High Court 34 presided by Justice M.M Adamu frivolously issued another other compelling the Benue State Local Government Election Tribunal Tribunal to conduct sitting in Abuja and particularly at the NBA house.
“The question is, can the Benue State laws be apply in the FCT or any other state other than Benue State? If the answer is NO, it is also clear that the Benue State Local Government Election Tribunal can not sit outside Benue State.”
Ude-Umanta further said: “We are here today to submit a petition against Justice Maurice Ikpambese and Justice M. M Adamu who by their actions have converted the title of justice to injustice.
“The burden behooves on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekereke-Ekum to expunge corrupt judges off the Nigerian judiciary in order to restore the integrity of the judiciary.
“Honourable CJN Ma, under your watch, the Supreme Court descended into live issues in Rivers State and decided a case that is not before it when it held that, Matthew Ameaweh is the Speaker of the House of Assembly while the case is still pending in the High Court and Appeal Court respectively.
“The judgment of the Supreme Court has been criticized by the 11- Man Independent Judicial Accountability panel headed by a retired Justice Mojeed Omoade.
“As part of its recommendations, the panel held that ‘politicians should generally avoid undue influence on the judiciary and be more accommodating of each other in the interest of their people.’
“It also urged the government at all levels to obey court orders and respect the fundamental rights of citizens in a democracy, decrying that over nine months after the ECOWAS Court awarded damages to victims of the October 2020 End SARS protest, the Federal Government had yet to comply with the judgment.”
