By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu For nearly five years, Abia State has been the site of a bewildering contest over the crisis of corruption that now bedevils Nigeria’s judicial appointment process. Essentially, the appointment of judges in Nigeria has become something akin to a life-and-death contest, not for or on behalf of those seeking to get...
Category: Commentary
‘FRAUDSTERS-IN-LAW: HOW ODINKALU GOOFED,’ BY UCHE IHEDIWA, EX ABIA AG
By Uche Ihediwa On 14/2/26, Chidi Anselem Odinkalu posted an article captioned “Fraudsters-In-Law; The Conspiracy Against Abia State”. In it, he fed the reading public with odious diatribe of and concerning Uche Ihediwa & Chibuzo Aguocha. He claimed inter-alia that the A.G. of Abia State failed to prosecute Paris Refund Criminals despite a suggestion/opinion to...
NBA-NEC MAIDUGURI: THE INSIDE STORY ON ALLEGED USD 2,000 PAYMENT
There has been a persistent narrative suggesting that during the NBA engagement in Maiduguri, a sum of USD 2,000 was shared among certain Senior Advocates of Nigeria as an “attendance fee,” and that this allegedly calls into question the integrity of the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association. According to a source at NBA HOUSE,...
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE AND FINANCIAL AUTONOMY IN NIGERIA: A CRITICAL RESPONSE TO ENUGU DIGITAL COURT PROJECT
By Sylvester Udemezue I recently came across a news report titled “‘Judicial Independence Must Be Effective, Not Just Formal’ — Gov. Mbah Commissions Enugu Digital Court Facility,” in which it was reported that the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Peter Mbah, commissioned a newly built digital court facility. The project was presented as a...
MY REFLECTIONS AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL RIGHTS 2026 IN ABUJA
MY REFLECTIONS AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL RIGHTS 2026 IN ABUJA I had the privilege today Thursday, 29 January 2026 of sharing the stage at Sheraton Hotels [Abuja Continental Hotel] with the dynamic Aisha Yesufu, Executive Director and Founder of Citizen’s Hub, as we participated as panelists at the ongoing National Conference on Digital...
IS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TRULY A RUBBER STAMP? ASKS UBANI
In this interview, Dr. Monday Ubani, SAN, Special Adviser on Legal Matters to the Senate President, speaks candidly on executive overreach, the Natasha controversy, electoral reforms, women’s representation, NBA accountability, and the legal–political tensions inside Nigeria’s Senate. “Akpabio has moved on from the Natasha issue,” he says. “Many Nigerians see him as a genuine statesman.”...
FRN V. CHIEF MIKE OZEKHOME: THE PRICE OF ACTIVISM AND THEATRE OF PERSECUTION
FRN V. CHIEF MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN: ACTIVISM, THE PRICE OF CONSCIENCE, AND THE THEATRE OF PERSECUTION: WHEN A STATE PUTS HISTORY ON TRIAL AND CALLS IT JUSTICE In this article, senior lawyer IFEANYI EJIOFOR reviews the trial of leading human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome, and argues that he was in fact exonerated of any...
BABY NKANU: NEGLIGENCE OR MENINGITIS?
By Onikepo Braithwaite CondolencesFirst, I must express my heartfelt condolences to Chimamanda Adichie, her Husband, Dr. Ivara Esege, and their whole family, on the very sad death of their beloved son, Nkanu Nnamdi. The loss of a child is the greatest nightmare of a parent, and I’m sure I speak for all Nigerians when I...
‘AKPABIO SUFFERED NO BLOW IN NATASHA’S APPEAL,’ SAYS LAWYER
A REJOINDER TO A MISLEADING AND CONJECTURAL REPORT ON THE AKPABIO-AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN APPEAL BY OPR. NEWS The referenced jaundiced reportage purporting to analyse proceedings at the Court of Appeal in the matter connected with the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a glaring example of speculative journalism, factual distortion, and advocacy masquerading as news. It is...
DEFILEMENT IS NOT NEGOTIABLE: WHEN PARENTS, POLICE BETRAY CHILDREN
By Okechukwu Nwanguma The alleged defilement of a nine-year-old girl in Amainyi Autonomous Community, Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State, and the threats faced by a journalist investigating the case, expose a disturbing but familiar pattern in Nigeria’s response to sexual violence against children: impunity sustained by silence, compromise, and abuse of discretion....









