Former president, Goodluck Jonathan has observed that politicians now rush to the courts after elections because they believe that judges can be manipulated to overturn the will of the people.
He warned that Nigeria’s democracy faces a deepening legitimacy crisis if the judiciary continues to determine electoral winners instead of the ballot box.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association Abuja Law Week 2026, Jonathan bemoaned a situation where post-election litigation has become so normalised that it now constitutes a parallel system of determining political power.
Drawing a pointed comparison with South Africa, he recounted how a former South African deputy president was bewildered upon learning that Nigerian politicians routinely challenge election outcomes in court.
“She asked me, ‘why would somebody go to court after losing an election?’ In South Africa, going to court after losing an election is strange. While in Nigeria, not going to court is strange.”
Attending as Special Guest of Honour at the event themed: ‘Safeguarding Nigeria’s Democratic Process’, the former president argued that courts should not declare winners in disputed elections but should instead order fresh polls where irregularities are established.
“The judiciary will do their work, but they should not declare any candidate. If they are not satisfied with the process of the election, then they should go back to the field. Let the ballot decide who wins,” he stated.
Jonathan also raised questions about the consistency of Nigeria’s multi-layered electoral litigation structure, noting an apparent contradiction in how disputes are handled at different levels of government.
“Governorship election takes three levels, tribunal, Appeal Court and Supreme Court. Presidency takes two. Are you telling me electing a governor is more important than electing a President?” he asked.
He lamented that Nigeria recorded the lowest voter turnout on the African continent despite being the most populous nation on the continent.
The former president therefore challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate the root causes beyond the commonly cited explanation of voter apathy.
He attributed part of the erosion of public trust in elections to political thuggery, which he said had become a normalised and, in some circles, financially rewarding profession.
“Nigeria is the only country where thuggery is a profession. Some thugs, when they are travelling out of this country, fly first class while university professors struggle to buy economy tickets. That country is like a canoe turned upside down,” he said.
