Afam Osigwe warns against judicialization of Nigerian elections

Afam Osigwe, SAN, the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, has warned against the increasing “judicialization” of Nigeria’s electoral process. Speaking at the 22nd Annual All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu, Osigwe expressed concern that the judiciary is increasingly being called upon to determine electoral winners rather than simply resolving legal disputes.

Osigwe noted that Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of election petitions globally. He attributed this trend to the difficulties in proving electoral non-compliance and malpractice within strict legal timeframes. This reliance on litigation, he argued, may undermine public confidence in the democratic process, as voters may feel their ballots are ultimately displaced by court decisions.

In addition to judicial concerns, Osigwe highlighted issues such as voter suppression, vote-buying, and electoral violence as factors weakening democratic trust. He also discussed the evolution of electoral technology in Nigeria, moving from smart card readers to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).