Ex-Appeal Court President Salami Criticizes Judiciary, Questions Peter Obi's 2023 Candidacy
Former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami (retired), has raised serious concerns about the Nigerian justice system, pointing to inadequacies in judicial appointments and questioning the legitimacy of Peter Obi's 2023 presidential candidacy under the Labour Party.
Salami Receives Award in Ilorin
Justice Salami made these remarks in Ilorin, Kwara State, during a courtesy visit and award presentation by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ). The founder and executive director of WSCIJ, Dapo Olorunyomi and Motunrayo Alaka, presented the award to Salami at his Ilorin home. They noted that the award was originally scheduled for December 2025, but the retired jurist was unable to attend the earlier program.
Critique of Judicial Incompetence
After receiving the award, Salami delivered a pointed critique of the judiciary. He emphasized that the inadequacy and incompetence of some judges are primary reasons for erroneous verdicts in the courts.
"There are a few bad eggs amongst some judges," Salami stated. "Strictly speaking, I will not say bad eggs. Some of them have a problem with learning. They don't have a good background to be judges. Imagine appointing a higher registrar as a judge. He has no experience. In the past, this would not have happened."
He attributed this decline in judicial standards to the population explosion and the proliferation of law faculties across universities and colleges. "Maybe due to the population explosion, we have everybody reading law. Every university or college is trying to establish a law faculty. All these may be responsible, not because they are dishonest or corrupt," he explained.
Salami further elaborated that these judges are personally inadequate, which leads to flawed judgments. "Personally, they are inadequate. This might be responsible for their wrong judgments. At times, if you see the judgments of some of them, even the Supreme Court judgments, you will be astounded and wonder at what is happening," he remarked.
Questioning Peter Obi's Candidacy
In a specific example, Salami questioned the validity of Peter Obi's candidacy in the 2023 presidential election. He argued that Obi should not have been allowed to contest under the Labour Party banner.
"For instance, Peter Obi ought not be allowed to contest the 2023 presidential election. In the sense that by the time he lost the PDP primary, LP had submitted its list of members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). And the Constitution says there cannot be an independent candidacy," Salami asserted.
He highlighted a procedural inconsistency: "How did he become the candidate of LP if he does not belong to LP? The same thing happened to the Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, who had now defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). His name is not in the NNPP's register, but they issued him a membership card and the register is supposed to be the mother of the card."
Call for Judicial Reforms
Salami's comments underscore a pressing need for comprehensive reforms in Nigeria's justice system. His critique points to deeper issues within judicial appointments and political candidacy processes, urging a reevaluation of standards and procedures to ensure integrity and competence in both the judiciary and electoral system.
