The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has warned judges against having close relationships with political parties while handling disputes arising from the 2027 general elections.
She said judges must remain neutral and avoid any action that could raise doubts about their impartiality.
Kekere-Ekun gave the warning on Monday in Abuja during the opening of the 2026 legal year of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
She said election periods often come with intense political activities and emotions, leading to disputes that may have serious consequences for individuals, political parties and the country.
According to her, judges must handle election cases calmly and strictly follow the law.
She added that judges must be careful about their words and actions because the public would closely monitor their conduct during the election period.
The CJN also warned lawyers against forum shopping, a practice in which lawyers deliberately file cases in courts they believe may favour their clients. She also criticised the filing of multiple cases seeking similar outcomes in different courts.
She said such practices could lead to conflicting court orders, damage the reputation of the judiciary and create the impression that some parties were seeking favourable judgments rather than justice.
Kekere-Ekun noted that too many political cases could also delay the hearing of other cases before the courts.
She urged lawyers to disclose related cases already pending before other courts and respect the authority and procedures of those courts.
The CJN stressed that lawyers have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the judicial system rather than focus only on securing immediate victories for their clients.
CJN calls for credible appointment of judges
Kekere-Ekun also called for the protection of the processes used to appoint judicial officers.
She described the appointment of judges as an important responsibility of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC).
According to her, the selection process must be transparent and credible to maintain public confidence in the judiciary.
She said recent appointments had involved assessments of candidates, professional feedback, background checks and opportunities for members of the public to comment on the integrity and reputation of shortlisted candidates.
However, she warned against abusing the process to settle personal disagreements or damage the reputations of professionals.
The CJN also expressed concern about the use of social media to attack, threaten and harass judges, lawyers and judicial staff.
She said there were proper channels for challenging court judgments and reporting professional misconduct.
Kekere-Ekun maintained that judges must be able to make decisions according to the law without fear of threats or personal attacks.
She added that protecting the dignity of the legal profession was the shared responsibility of judges and lawyers.
Supreme Court records 411 judgments
The CJN expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s performance during the 2025/2026 legal year but said more work was needed to reduce delays in the justice system.
She disclosed that the court handled 2,456 matters during the period, including civil and criminal motions, Sharia-related matters and appeals.
The cases included 1,179 general civil motions, 573 criminal motions, 13 Sharia-related motions and 676 appeals.
Of the appeals, 433 were general civil appeals, 212 were criminal appeals, 19 were political appeals, 12 were Sharia appeals and 10 were originating summons.
She said the court delivered 411 judgments during the period, compared with 369 judgments and rulings from 2,280 matters in the preceding legal year.
Kekere-Ekun also disclosed that the court had taken steps to reduce its backlog of cases.
She said the E-Diary Office scheduled 1,385 matters for regular court sittings between March 23 and December 17, 2026. These included 1,021 motions and 364 appeals.
Of the scheduled cases, 733 were old matters brought forward for hearing. Another 178 inactive cases were resolved in chambers, while 125 cases that had already been concluded were removed from the list of active cases.