The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of rendering both the judiciary and legislative arms of government “impotent,” warning that the country is “on the verge of democratic annihilation.”
In a statement released on Sunday by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA alleged that judicial independence has collapsed under the watch of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, while the National Assembly has been reduced to a “political annex of the Presidency.”
Onwubiko asserted, “The Nigerian judiciary under the current CJN has been reduced to a timid, corrupt, and compromised shadow of itself, incapable of delivering justice in any matter that affects President Tinubu or his political cronies.” The group further claimed that the National Judicial Council (NJC) has become a “polluted sanctuary of inefficiency” with its leadership aligned with the President.
As evidence, HURIWA cited the series of judicial victories enjoyed by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, alleging they were achieved through “suspected insider compromises, unethical collusion, and abuse of judicial influence.” The association also described the Supreme Court’s refusal to fix a hearing date for the suit challenging the suspension of the Rivers State governor as a “national embarrassment,” suggesting the court system has been “captured by the Executive.”
The group pointed to several post-2023 judicial outcomes, including the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, which it said has deepened public distrust in the legal system. It described a “spate of alleged bribery-induced judgments” in politically sensitive cases as “judicial robberies dressed in legal robes.”
Turning its attention to the legislative arm, HURIWA accused the 10th National Assembly of “openly advertising its subservience to President Tinubu.” The statement pointed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s public comment, “I was not elected to fight Tinubu,” as a clear sign that the legislature has abandoned its constitutional duty of oversight.
