The immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has criticised the growing reliance on election tribunals and courts to determine electoral victories, saying the development is gradually weakening the power of voters in Nigeria’s democracy.

Osigwe said controversial legal technicalities and difficulties in proving violations of electoral laws had increasingly shifted the determination of election outcomes away from voters and towards the judiciary.

The former NBA president spoke on Thursday in Enugu at the 22nd Nigeria Guild of Editors Conference, where he criticised what he described as the “judicialisation” of Nigeria’s electoral process.

He argued that the growing number of election petitions and prolonged legal battles had created a situation in which politicians increasingly looked to the courts after elections rather than relying solely on the support of voters to secure political office.

Osigwe said the problem was partly linked to the difficulty of establishing non-compliance with electoral laws in court.

He said, “A judge once presented a paper called ‘The Judicialisation of the Electoral Process.’

He argued that because of the difficulty of proving non-compliance with the Electoral Act, the courts have gradually and increasingly usurped the role of the voters. I couldn’t agree more.”

According to him, Nigeria records a very high number of election petitions globally, while delays in resolving electoral disputes have further complicated the process and weakened public confidence.

Why Nigerians are losing interest in voting
Osigwe also linked declining voter turnout to the perception among some Nigerians that their votes may not ultimately determine who emerges victorious at the polls.

He said some voters had become discouraged by what they perceived as irregularities between voting at polling units and the final collation of results.

“They believe that between polling units and collation centres—especially at night—miracles happen before daybreak. So why vote?” he asked.

He said the situation had also created an environment in which politicians could allegedly influence voters with money and food items such as rice and salt, while thugs were sometimes recruited during elections.

Osigwe further criticised the conduct of some state electoral commissions, alleging that ruling parties routinely emerged victorious in elections conducted by such bodies.

“Sometimes you’ll be waiting for ballot papers, and results are already announced,” he said.

BVAS, IReV and election disputes
The former NBA president also raised concerns about the legal treatment of technology introduced to improve the transparency of Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal.

He argued that some court decisions concerning electoral technology had undermined the effectiveness of the innovations.

Osigwe cited a court position that treated the BVAS machine itself as the primary evidence in certain electoral disputes rather than the printout generated from it.

He said, “The court held that the BVAS machine itself is the primary evidence, not the printout. So you must physically carry the BVAS from every polling unit to court within strict time limits.”

According to him, such legal requirements can create significant difficulties for litigants seeking to challenge electoral irregularities within the prescribed period.

Calls for electoral and judicial reforms
Osigwe also criticised the practice of politicians routinely approaching the courts after elections, arguing that the trend had contributed to declining confidence in the judiciary.

He alleged that some judges had been caught taking bribes and called for reforms to strengthen the credibility and independence of the electoral and judicial systems.

He also argued that pre-election matters should not be justiciable, as he expressed concern about the extent to which the courts have become involved in political contests before and after elections.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s broader political challenges, Osigwe cited Chinua Achebe’s The Trouble with Nigeria, attributing the country’s persistent problems to leadership failure across society.

“We gained independence 64 years ago. We keep making excuses, and we only end up making many lawyers wealthy and corrupt judges richer,” he said.

Osigwe warned that unless Nigeria reforms its electoral and legal systems, public confidence in elections could continue to decline.

He said a situation where voters increasingly believe that courts, rather than their ballots, determine electoral outcomes could pose a serious challenge to democratic participation.

He therefore called for reforms that would strengthen the credibility of elections, ensure that votes are properly counted and collated, and restore citizens’ confidence that their ballots can determine who governs them.

Anambra State First Lady, Dr Nonye Soludo, has urged residents across the state to remain vigilant and take necessary precautionary measures as flooding continues to affect several communities.

Soludo made the call in a statement issued in Awka on Wednesday, following two days of torrential rainfall that triggered flooding and gully erosion in different parts of the state.

She expressed concern over the impact of the flooding on families and communities, particularly residents living in flood-prone areas, and urged them to pay close attention to weather and flood warnings issued by relevant authorities.

The First Lady advised residents to avoid crossing flooded roads, waterways and other areas covered by rising floodwaters, stressing that people should relocate to safer locations whenever their homes or immediate surroundings become unsafe.

She also appealed to residents to maintain clean surroundings and stop dumping refuse in drainage channels, noting that blocked waterways could worsen flooding and increase the risk to lives and property.

“This is to call on Ndi Anambra to maintain clean surroundings and desist from dumping refuse into drainage channels. Blocked waterways can worsen flooding and pose serious risks to lives and property,” she said.

Soludo further urged parents and guardians to ensure that children stayed away from floodwaters, drainage channels, streams and other potentially dangerous areas during periods of heavy rainfall.

According to her, increased community awareness and collective responsibility are necessary to reduce the impact of flooding and prevent avoidable casualties.

“There is a need for increased community awareness and collective responsibility; early action and responsible environmental practices can help reduce the risks associated with flooding,” she said.

She also encouraged residents to promptly report emergencies and situations requiring urgent intervention to the appropriate authorities.

The First Lady urged communities to look out for one another and respond quickly whenever floodwaters begin to rise, stressing that preparedness and vigilance could help protect lives.

She reiterated that responsible environmental practices remained essential to reducing the effects of flooding across the state, while assuring residents that the state government would continue efforts to cushion the impact of the disaster on affected families and communities.

The latest warning followed heavy rainfall recorded across Anambra on Monday and Tuesday, which caused flooding and gully erosion in several communities.

The rainfall submerged houses, roads, schools, farmlands and markets, while several drainage systems, water channels and canals overflowed and affected major roads.

The flooding also resulted in a rescue operation along the Nibo–Isiagu Road in Awka after a shuttle bus carrying schoolchildren and adults was overturned by floodwaters.

The Anambra State Police Command said seven schoolchildren and two adults were rescued from the vehicle by its Safe School Operatives in collaboration with members of the community.

The command’s spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said an additional schoolchild involved in the incident remained unaccounted for as of Tuesday.

Ikenga said the police immediately mobilised to the affected area after receiving information about the incident and worked with community members to rescue nine people from the overturned vehicle.

He said sustained search and rescue operations had been activated to locate the missing child.

“The search operation is being conducted in collaboration with community members and relevant stakeholders and will continue until the remaining persons are located and accounted for,” Ikenga said.

The development has heightened concerns over the risks posed by continued heavy rainfall, particularly in communities vulnerable to flooding and erosion.

Authorities and residents have therefore continued to emphasise early warning, proper waste disposal, caution around waterways and prompt evacuation from locations that become unsafe during flooding.

The Ogun State Government has urged industries operating in the state to move beyond mere compliance with environmental regulations and adopt circular economy principles to reduce waste, recover resources and improve production efficiency.

Governor Dapo Abiodun made the call on Wednesday at the 3rd Annual Industrial Waste Management Workshop organised by the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) at the Sir Kessington Adebutu Hall, Abeokuta Sports Club.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, said the workshop, themed “Beyond Compliance:

Embedding Circular Economy Principles and Innovation into Industrial Waste Management in Ogun State,” was particularly important given the state’s status as one of Nigeria’s major industrial hubs.

Abiodun said industrial development must be accompanied by responsible environmental management, stressing that economic growth should not come at the expense of public health, communities and the environment.

“Industrial development must proceed hand in hand with environmental responsibility.

Investment and economic growth are welcome, but they must be pursued within the framework of environmental laws and standards that protect public health, communities and the environment,” he said.

The governor disclosed that Nigeria generates more than 35 million tonnes of solid waste annually, while Ogun State accounts for more than one million tonnes, with industrial activities contributing significantly to the volume.

He warned that improper waste disposal, open burning and inefficient utilisation of resources were contributing to environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions.

Abiodun also raised concerns over the indiscriminate dumping of waste in drainage channels, noting that such practices could worsen flooding across the state.

He said the government would enforce relevant environmental laws against individuals and businesses found violating the regulations.

The governor further disclosed that the state’s Policy on Climate Change, currently undergoing stakeholder review, would provide a framework for incorporating resource efficiency, low-carbon industrial development and circular economy principles into Ogun’s development planning.

According to him, the state has already introduced several initiatives aimed at improving waste recovery and encouraging sustainable waste management.

Among them are the Blue Box Initiative, Plastic for Cash Programme and the establishment of packaging waste collection and aggregation centres.

Abiodun said the Blue Box Initiative, launched in 2025 by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with OGWAMA, was encouraging households to separate waste at source, while recycling depots and material recovery operations were being expanded across the state’s three senatorial districts.

He added that the Plastic for Cash Programme was creating economic opportunities for women, youths and low-income households by providing incentives for the recovery of plastic waste.

The state government, he said, had also facilitated the establishment of packaging waste collection and aggregation centres with the support of the Food and Beverage Alliance, a Producer Responsibility Organisation.

Oresanya, who also spoke at the event, urged industries to prioritise waste prevention, segregation, recovery, safe handling and responsible disposal.

He stressed that industries should see waste not merely as a disposal problem but as a potential resource that could be recovered, reused or recycled to support more efficient production.

OGWAMA threatens sanctions against erring industries
Also speaking at the workshop, the Special Adviser and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Hon. Farouk Adeniyi Akintunde, warned industries against under-declaring their waste volumes, open burning and indiscriminate dumping.

Akintunde said the authority would sanction industries engaging in practices capable of undermining the state’s efforts to improve industrial waste management.

“A situation where some of the industries under-declare their industrial waste volume and involve in sharp practices such as waste burning, indiscriminate dumping of industrial waste in public spaces and illegal dumpsite operation will not be tolerated,” he said.

According to him, such practices violate Section 27 of the OGWAMA Law 2020, stressing that industries found contravening the law would face appropriate sanctions.

He, however, urged industries experiencing difficulties in managing their waste to approach the authority for assistance rather than resorting to illegal disposal methods.

The OGWAMA boss said embracing circular economy principles could help industries reduce waste, improve production processes and generate additional income from materials previously regarded as waste.

“As a regulator, we assure our industries of our cooperation in embedding circular economy principles and innovations into industrial waste management in Ogun State with the hope that they will play their part in achieving this onerous task,” he said.

Akintunde noted that the annual workshop had evolved over the past three years, moving from awareness creation towards achieving practical improvements in industrial waste management.

He also disclosed that OGWAMA had refurbished several moribund compactors in its fleet and purchased new ones to strengthen its industrial waste management operations.

The authority, he added, had cleared backlogs of commercial and industrial payments owed to its Private Sector Participation operators before his assumption of office and had continued to meet its payment obligations promptly.

The workshop brought together relevant government agencies, industries and other stakeholders to examine ways of improving industrial waste management and promoting sustainable production practices in Ogun State.