A respected senior lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, has raised alarm over what he described as a “disgraceful and dangerous” moment during the 2025 Judges’ Conference in Abuja, where some judicial officers reportedly joined in singing the politically loaded chant, “On your mandate we shall stand”, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu mounted the podium.
The incident occurred on 17 November 2025 and has sparked concerns about the independence, integrity and public perception of the Nigerian judiciary—especially at a time when the President himself warned judges against corruption and compromise.
Okutepa, reacting to the event in a strongly-worded article, said the moment cast a dark shadow over what should have been a solemn judicial gathering.
According to him, after the Chief Justice of Nigeria concluded his remarks and invited President Tinubu to declare the conference open, what followed was not the National Anthem, but a campaign-style song loudly proclaiming “On your mandate we shall stand.”
“I listened to it. It was a song that said on your mandate we shall stand. As if the music was intended to tempt the judges, and of course some fell for it and sang,” he wrote. “The playing of that music at that occasion was in my view very inappropriate, and it was bad for any judicial officer to sing it.”
He described the action as a symbolic failure at the very event where President Tinubu preached integrity, warning that no judicial reform can succeed “if integrity is compromised.”
Quoting the President’s own words from paragraph 11 of his speech, Okutepa recalled Tinubu’s emphasis:
“Justice must never be for sale, and the Bench must never become a sanctuary for compromise. Corruption in any arm of government weakens the nation, but corruption in the Judiciary destroys it at its core.”
But the senior advocate argued that the events in the hall contradicted the President’s message.
“If the Nigerian President wants a judiciary that is integrity-driven, then His Excellency must show and lead the crusade in practical terms,” he said. “The first example of failure of the executive was the song sung at that occasion. That song may be good at a political gathering but is inappropriate at a gathering of judicial officers.”
He added that the President must publicly distance himself from the incident and ensure accountability:
“Any member of the Executive, Legislature, Judiciary or even private individuals who interferes with the integrity of the judiciary must be brought to book. The President needs to show that he did not approve of the playing of that song.”
Okutepa further cited global standards for judicial conduct—impartiality, integrity, fairness, professionalism—and warned that allowing political influence to seep into judicial spaces destroys the very foundation of democracy.
“If we all resolve to allow the judiciary work without interferences—from recruitment to promotion, conditions of service and other essential working instruments—the judiciary will work,” he said. “Those who subject the judiciary to temptation must be fished out and punished accordingly.”
The controversy continues to fuel national debate as Nigerians question why a political slogan associated with a sitting President was played—let alone sung by judicial officers—at a supposedly neutral and sacrosanct judicial forum.
