The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has warned judges against conduct that could suggest political allegiance ahead of the 2027 general elections and cautioned lawyers against shopping for favourable judgments in different courts.
Speaking in Abuja at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria’s 2026/2027 Legal Year ceremony, Kekere-Ekun said election-related judicial assignments demanded exceptional impartiality, restraint and independence.
She noted that some judges would serve on election petition tribunals, where their decisions on politically sensitive disputes would attract intense public scrutiny.
“The nature of such assignments therefore demands an even greater degree of impartiality, restraint and detachment,” she said.
The CJN stressed that judges’ associations, public engagements and personal conduct must not create a reasonable impression of political alignment, whether they were adjudicating labour disputes or serving on election tribunals.
She also warned lawyers against instituting parallel proceedings in different courts or divisions to secure favourable outcomes, saying such practices could produce conflicting orders, damage public confidence, and expose the judiciary to avoidable embarrassment.
“The proper forum is determined by law, not by the perceived likelihood of success before a particular Judge or court,” she said.
Kekere-Ekun urged the Bar to resist attempts to turn the judicial process into a tool for partisan advantage.
While acknowledging the public’s right to criticise judgments, she said criticism must not descend into personal attacks on judges, deliberate distortion of proceedings or campaigns aimed at pressuring courts.
She added that concerns about judicial misconduct should be raised through the appropriate institutional channels.
The CJN also cautioned judges and lawyers against relying on artificial intelligence without verifying its output, warning that the technology could generate convincing citations, quotations and case details for authorities that did not exist.
She said lawyers who submit fictitious or unverified authorities could mislead courts and undermine their clients’ cases, stressing that AI-generated errors do not absolve legal practitioners of professional responsibility.
She said every authority must be independently located, read, and verified before being cited.
For judges, Kekere-Ekun warned that decisions could not safely rest on unverified materials because AI “cannot assume the judicial responsibility of determining what the law is”.
She further urged caution when entering confidential case documents into systems whose security could not be guaranteed.
In his remarks, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, commended the NICN’s electronic filing and service system, describing it as evidence of the court’s progress in applying technology to justice administration.
Represented by the Director of Civil Appeal, Tijani Gazali, Fagbemi said the court’s new headquarters would ultimately depend on the quality, efficiency, and fairness of justice delivered within it.
He identified delays as a persistent challenge, particularly in employment disputes, where dismissed workers and their employers could face prolonged uncertainty.
Fagbemi said technology must be supported by effective case management, sufficient personnel, professional discipline and cooperation between judges and lawyers.
The NICN President, Justice Benedict Kanyip, said the court disposed of 2,236 cases across its divisions in the preceding 12 months, substantially reducing its longstanding backlog.
He reaffirmed the court’s commitment to accessible justice, professionalism and innovation in the resolution of labour disputes.
