Stakeholders have called for reforms aimed at strengthening judicial accountability, enhancing electoral justice delivery, and rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s judiciary ahead of the 2027 general elections, stakeholders
They made the call at a two-day strategic review meeting on ‘Strengthening Citizen-Led Judicial Accountability through Coordinated Civil Society Action stressing that judicial accountability extends beyond the legal sector and is central to public trust, citizens’ rights, and equitable access to justice.
Speaking at the event convened by ActionAid Nigeria under the CiTi ACT Project in collaboration with the Coalition of Judicial Actors for Reform (COJAR), the Independent Judicial Accountability Panel (IJAP) and other groups in Abuja, the Deputy Country Director and Director of Programmes at ActionAid Nigeria, Suwaiba Muhammad-Dankabo, emphasised that while previous engagements under COJAR had generated important conversations and recommendations, sustainable reforms would only be achieved through coordinated implementation, accountability mechanisms, and collective ownership of reform priorities.
“Nigeria stands at a critical juncture where public trust in the judiciary is urgently needed. We must move beyond identifying challenges to implementing solutions that strengthen democratic institutions and ensure justice for all,” she said.
Also contributing to the discussion, a member of the Independent Judicial Accountability Panel (IJAP), Barrister Sechap Tsokwa, recommended that the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) reduce the concentration of powers currently vested in a single office.
Barrister Tsokwa, also recommended involving Supreme Court Justices from other Commonwealth jurisdictions in investigations involving allegations against the CJN or other Supreme Court Justices to strengthen transparency and public confidence.
Other recommendations included greater transparency in judicial appointments, citizen participation in scrutinizing judicial nominees, improved recruitment and training of judicial personnel, enhanced remuneration and retirement benefits for judges, and the establishment of an online whistleblowing platform for reporting judicial misconduct.
Another discussant,, the Executive Director of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), Lucy James, said that PPDC had automated 61 courts across 12 states, digitally linked nine custodial centres to courts to facilitate remote hearings, conducted dozens of detention facility visits and audits, and archived over 11,000 court records.
