On 17 October 2026, Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Augie, CFR, JSC (Rtd.), stood before the Nigerian Law School Class of ’86 and gave Nigeria an honest ledger. She spoke as someone who served as counsel, teacher, Chief Magistrate, High Court Judge, Justice of the Court of Appeal and Justice of the Supreme Court. Her words deserve to be read slowly.
She said power that defies a court “has only told its own citizens that the law is optional, and a law that is optional for the strong, offers no protection at all to the weak.” She also named a political culture that “treats the law as an instrument to be captured rather than a standard to be obeyed.”
She did not speak about Kogi. But a good lecture carries lessons beyond its occasion, and ours is plain.
Politics belongs to the ballot box, and the courts exist to protect that ballot, not to replace it. In Kogi West, Senator Karimi’s supporters say the people made their choice in the primary. A judgment has since been delivered, and an appeal is pending. In my view, the right response now is calm, lawful and respectful of the process: let the appellate court do its work, and let no one pretend the matter is closed before it is.
Her closing charge applies to every party and every zone. Nigeria will not wither if we refuse to let the rule of law wither. For Kogi West, that means respecting the final decision of the courts, wherever the appeal lands, and respecting the people who stood in line to vote.
Justice Augie asked lawyers to guard the profession’s integrity. Politicians owe the same duty to their parties. A party that settles its differences inside its own house serves the rule of law best.
Signed:
Dr. Yusuf M.A
Convener, Kogi Equity Alliance (KEA)
info@kogiequityalliance.org.ng
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