Former Education Minister and public policy advocate, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has raised serious concerns over what she described as a coordinated assault on the independence of the judiciary and the rights of Senator Natasha Akpoti.
In a strongly worded memo addressed to the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Supreme Court Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Dr. Ezekwesili called on the judiciary to rise above political interference and defend the integrity of Nigeria’s legal system.
The controversy centers on a criminal defamation case filed by the Executive arm of the Nigerian government against Senator Akpoti, who has publicly accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment and threatening her life. Instead of initiating an independent investigation into the senator’s allegations, the government reportedly filed charges against her, siding with those she accused.
“I want to give the benefit of the doubt that it does worry you that our once-respected Judiciary currently faces a serious crisis of credibility,” Ezekwesili wrote. “Citizens have watched with great pain how politicians have serially infringed on the independence and integrity of our third arm of government.”
According to Ezekwesili, the charges against Senator Akpoti are not only unjust but also represent a pattern of intimidation targeting the lawmaker for speaking out. “Egregiously, they have filed a criminal case against her for ‘defamation of those she accused,’” she noted. “In so doing, they are seeking to intensify previous acts of intimidation launched against her since she made the allegations of sexual harassment.”
The former World Bank Vice President warned that the Nigerian judiciary stands at a crossroads — to either protect the oppressed and defend democratic principles, or allow itself to become a tool of political suppression.
“Will you give justice to the oppressed and wisely choose to uphold the integrity and independence of our Judiciary or…?” Ezekwesili asked, leaving her statement open-ended but weighty with implication.
Her intervention adds momentum to growing calls for transparency, accountability, and respect for due process in how the state handles sensitive allegations — particularly those involving women in politics.
Observers note that this development could have wide-reaching implications for press freedom, women’s rights, and the separation of powers in Nigeria’s democratic framework.
The National Judicial Council has not issued a public response to the memo at the time of this report.
