Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has accused the Federal Government and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of repeatedly disregarding court rulings, cautioning that such actions undermine the rule of law and endanger Nigeria’s democratic stability.

In a statement released on Friday, Falana decried what he described as a deepening culture of impunity among state institutions and political leaders. He singled out the Senate under Akpabio’s leadership as “the most notorious” in violating judicial orders.

Falana cited several examples, including the case of Comrade Tajudeen Baruwa, whose re-election as President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in 2023 was affirmed by both the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal. Despite these judgments, Baruwa was forcibly removed from the union’s secretariat.

He also referenced the Federal Government’s refusal to comply with the July 2024 Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to local governments, as well as the Senate’s continued defiance of a Federal High Court decision that overturned the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. According to Falana, the Senate not only ignored the judgment but went further to extend her suspension indefinitely.

Calling for urgent intervention, Falana urged President Bola Tinubu to act decisively to prevent what he described as an “inexorable descent into anarchy.” He also challenged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to revive its tradition of defending judicial integrity, recalling the 1987 boycott of courts under Alao Aka-Bashorun, which forced the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida to comply with a court order.

The lawyer warned that unchecked abuses of power, entrenched corruption, and the capture of the judiciary could push the Fourth Republic to collapse. He further lamented that electoral malpractice had become so brazen that perpetrators now mock citizens, confident that court outcomes are already compromised.