Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Isa Salami, has called on Nigerian judges to be conscientious, honest and courageous in the discharge of their duties.

Speaking with journalists after he was honoured as recipient of the 2025 HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AWARD by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Justice Salami said that courage is the basis of good judgement.

The award was presented to Justice Salami by Founder and Executive Director, WSCIJ, Dapo Olorunyomi and Motunrayo Alaka in his Ilorin home.

“Well, they should be conscientious, honest and courageous. Courage is the basis of it all. If you don’t have courage, you can’t do justice. And to my brothers who said they attended Offa Grammar School. Yes sir, we had a principal and I think he was the first principal of the secondary school. Every Monday morning, there is devotion in the assembly hall. And he’s the one that comes to address us. And his theme, every day, is in one form or the other, about courage. Courage is the basis of his theme. The way he will now fashion it may be different every time. So, once there is courage, you can, no matter how difficult the case is, you will pass through it.

“It’s not all about Law. Law is not very much involved. Courage and
ability to design the issue
involved in the case. Once you determine the issue correctly, you won’t be wrong,” he added.

The former President of the Court of Appeal, who would not want to go into the nation’s political matters, said that, “I would never be a
politician. How do I advise
them? I can advise my brother
judges that they should be
steadfast and be courageous and
be patriotic. Because at times, patriotism is required”.

Justice Salami also said that the inadequacy and incompetence of some of the nation’s judges are responsible for some of their wrong verdicts.

“There are few bad eggs amongst some judges. Strictly speaking, I will not say bad eggs. Some of them have problem of learning. They don’t have good background to be judges. Imagine appointing higher registrar as a judge. He has no experience. In the past, this would not happen. May be due to population explosion, we have everybody reading Law. Every university or college trying to establish Law faculty. All these may be responsible not because they are dishonest.

“Personally, they are inadequate. This might be responsible for their wrong judgements. At time, if you see the judgements of some of them, even the Supreme Court judgements, you will be astounded and wondered at what is happening.

“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.

“How did he become 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 with membership card and the register is supposed to be the mother of the card.

“But the Supreme Court countenanced it, even though the tribunal and Appeal Court frowned at it. That is the problem of competence. People get to the Supreme Court not because they are good but because there is vacancy from their zones. They supersede people who are their seniors, whom they met at the Court of Appeal and who are more experienced than them.

“I am a practical example. some of them who came 10 years after I had got to the Court of Appeal, got recommended to the Supreme Court by me because my zone did not have vacancy. That is the tragedy we have found ourselves. We hope with time everything will be corrected.”

He hailed the WSCIJ for the honour done him by that symbolic gesture.
“I am very happy to receive the award. I hope and pray that your organisation will flourish. I am very sure many people will be eager from time to time, to be honoured by you. There is hardly any judge who will not appreciate this time of award coming to him. Even if he is a bad judge not to talk of others who are very good and dedicated,” he said.

He hinted that Prof Wole Soyinka’s audacity and principle’s disposition influenced position in the affairs of Nigeria.

He also lauded the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who he said influenced his decision to read Law.

“In fact, Chief Awolowo was the one that influenced by decision to read Law during his treasonable felony’s trial. And the government prevented his defence counsel from coming into the country from Britain.

“Chief Awolowo decided to take up his own personal defence. So I thought if I go into politics and I find myself in the same hot pot, I should be able to defend myself,” the foremost jurist said.