Falana Knocks FG, Akpabio for Defying Court Orders

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has criticised the Federal Government and Senate President Godswill Akpabio for undermining the rule of law.

He claimed that the government and influential individuals were disregarding court judgement

Speaking via a statement, Falana warned that such behaviour threatened the foundation of the rule of law.

He faulted Akpabio for what he described as the notorious nature of the Senate.

Falana said, “Judgments of courts are disobeyed by governments and powerful individuals. The most notorious institution is the Senate under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio. 

Some of the court orders that have been treated with disdain include the following: Comrade Tajudeen Baruwa was re-elected as President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in August 2023.

“The election was confirmed by the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal, the highest court on labour matters. In defiance of the orders of the NIC and the Court of Appeal, Comrade Baruwa was forcefully ejected from the national secretariat of the NURTW for the installation of Oluomo as the union president.

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“In May 2024, the Federal Government dragged the 36 state governments to court over the control of local governments. Two months later, the apex court upheld the autonomy of local governments and ordered direct payment of monthly statutory allocations to the 774 local governments. The FG has treated the judgment with contempt.

“In March 2025, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate for six months. The Federal High Court declared the suspension illegal and recommended that the Senate recall her. The order of the court was disregarded, contrary to Section 287 of the Constitution. As if that was not enough, the Senate leadership has illegally converted the six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to an indefinite suspension and others.”

He called on President Bola Tinubu to prevent the state from collapsing, saying he ought to suspend his vacation and halt the “inexorable descent to anarchy and chaos in the country.”

“If our advice is ignored by the President, the Nigerian Bar Association should adopt urgent measures to end the incessant disobedience of court orders by the Federal and State Governments. In 1987, the Nigerian Bar Association under the leadership of the late Alao Aka-Bashorun embarked on a boycott of courts to compel the Ibrahim Babangida military junta to comply with a single order of the Federal High Court. The duty of the NBA to ensure compliance with court orders is greater under a democratic government that is mandatorily required to operate under the rule of law,” he added.

The human rights lawyer also lamented that election riggers now openly dared aggrieved citizens to go to court, where outcomes had become predictable.