Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has strongly criticized the Federal Government and Senate President Godswill Akpabio for repeatedly flouting court rulings, warning that such disregard for judicial authority threatens the very foundation of the rule of law in Nigeria.
In a statement issued to Saturday PUNCH, Falana condemned what he described as a growing culture of impunity among government officials and institutions, particularly singling out the Senate under Akpabio’s leadership as “notorious” for ignoring court orders.
He cited several high-profile cases, including the continued defiance of court rulings that upheld the leadership of Comrade Tajudeen Baruwa as President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Federal Government’s refusal to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy, and the illegal suspension and extended punishment of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan despite a court order declaring her suspension unlawful.
Falana urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action to stop what he described as the “inexorable descent to anarchy and chaos,” insisting that the President suspend his vacation to address the crisis. He also called on the Nigerian Bar Association to step in, warning that the country’s democracy was under serious threat.
He drew parallels with the 1987 boycott led by the late Alao Aka-Bashorun, reminding the NBA of its duty to enforce constitutional compliance, especially under a democratic government that claims to respect the rule of law.
Falana concluded with a bleak assessment of Nigeria’s democratic health, lamenting that court rulings are now easily disregarded, judicial outcomes appear pre-determined, and electoral malpractices are met with smug indifference by perpetrators who dare citizens to “go to court,” knowing justice may never come.
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