The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has warned lawyers against forum shopping and filing multiple lawsuits seeking similar reliefs, cautioning that the practices could undermine the administration of justice ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Kekere-Ekun gave the warning on Monday, October 12, 2026, during a special session of the Supreme Court in Abuja to mark the commencement of the 2026/2027 legal year.
She described forum shopping as the practice of deliberately initiating a case in a court considered more favourable to a party or instituting multiple proceedings over substantially similar issues. According to her, such practices could result in conflicting court orders, undermine judicial processes and damage public confidence in the judiciary.
The CJN urged lawyers to exercise professional restraint and disclose the existence of related cases already pending before other courts. She stressed that legal practitioners have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the judicial process rather than pursue favourable outcomes through questionable litigation practices.
She also cautioned judicial officers against political associations or conduct that could create an impression of bias, particularly as politically sensitive disputes increase ahead of the elections. She emphasised that election-related cases must be handled with impartiality and strict adherence to the law.
Beyond electoral matters, Kekere-Ekun raised concerns over delays in releasing approved funds for the judiciary, noting that late disbursements disrupt projects, affect procurement and reduce the purchasing power of budgetary allocations.
Reviewing the Supreme Court’s performance, she disclosed that the court handled 2,456 matters during the 2025/2026 legal year and delivered 411 judgments, compared with 2,280 matters handled in the preceding year.
She said the court had introduced measures to address its backlog, including prioritising older cases, disposing of dormant matters and removing concluded cases from its active docket.
