By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Retiring Supreme Court Justice, Ibrahim Saulawa, has recounted how he resisted attempts by the military to interfere with the judiciary during the crisis that followed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, while warning politicians against sending gifts to judges to influence their decisions.
Justice Saulawa made the disclosure on Tuesday, 29 September, 2026, at a valedictory court session held in his honour by the Supreme Court, where he also called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to take action against the practice of politicians sending cows, rams and other items to judicial officers.
The jurist, who retired from the bench on attaining the mandatory age of 70 after 44 years in the legal profession, described such gifts as “Greek gifts” and said they were demeaning to the judiciary.
“Why should a politician send a ram, cow or other items to a Supreme Court Justice? It is unheard of in other countries.
“I am calling on the CJN to do something about this. I once raised the issue. It is demeaning and equally frustrating,” he said.
Saulawa also recalled an incident in which an influential person whom he later convicted attempted to influence him through intermediaries after he rejected a car offered to him before judgment was delivered.
According to him, the man had donated a brand-new Peugeot motor vehicle to him before the case, but he flatly rejected the offer.
He said the individual subsequently sought the intervention of prominent personalities, including the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Usman, and the District Head, Alhaji Balan Goggo, in an attempt to persuade him to accept what he described as a “Greek gift”.
“Prior to the case, the Alhaji had donated to me a brand-new Peugeot motor vehicle, which I flatly rejected.
“He went to the extent of seeking the intervention of some prominent personalities, including the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Usman, the District Head, Alhaji Balan Goggo, et al., with a view to influencing me to accept the ‘Greek gift,’ but to no avail,” Saulawa said.
The retiring Justice, who urged judges across the country to uphold integrity, honesty and morality, said he had also declined several invitations to social gatherings in a bid to protect his principles.
He, however, observed that some of his colleagues continued to attend such gatherings.
“But some of my learned friends are always there, even if they didn’t need to be there,” he said.
Reflecting on his judicial career, Saulawa turned to the political crisis surrounding the June 12, 1993 presidential election, recalling his role as Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal when conflicting court orders threatened to deepen the controversy over the poll.
He said the Federal Capital Territory High Court had issued two interim orders restraining the Professor Humphrey Nwosu-led National Electoral Commission from conducting the presidential election and announcing its results, while some state high courts issued conflicting orders directing that the results be announced.
Saulawa described the situation as an attempt by the military to create legal confusion through what he termed “forum shopping”.
He recalled that, acting on the directive of the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice M. Akanbi, he immediately travelled from Lagos to Kaduna to take control of the Court of Appeal registry and oversee the processing of appeals filed by the electoral commission.
“Appeals were filed at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, by the NEC. As the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, and the only spokesperson thereof, I flew from Lagos to Kaduna and took effective control of the Registry and supervised the registering of the appeals and the issuing of the appropriate court processes to the respective parties to the appeals,” he said.
He added that he issued a press statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the two appeals and related motions before returning to Lagos later that evening to brief Justice Akanbi.
Saulawa said his briefing prompted Justice Akanbi, whom he described as a man of “unquestionable integrity and unwavering courage”, to convene an emergency meeting of the presiding justices to address the crisis.
According to him, the judiciary resisted the military’s efforts to interfere in the matter until the then Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, eventually annulled the presidential election.
He said Babangida justified the annulment on the grounds that he was saving the judiciary from “self-destruction”.
Saulawa, however, maintained that the judiciary at the time deserved “a gold medal” for resisting the military’s attempts to manipulate the judicial process.
“We actually did all we could do to frustrate the military,” he said.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, in her address at the valedictory session, described Saulawa as “a man whose life has been defined by service”.
Kekere-Ekun recalled an incident from the period when Saulawa was Presiding Justice of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, saying it demonstrated their shared commitment to protecting the integrity of judicial office.
She said a situation had arisen in which an attempt, though discreet, was made to place personal benefit in the path of judicial duty.
“There was, during that period, a particular moment which has remained with me, because of what it revealed about the values we both held dear.
“A situation arose which called for a clear and principled response to an attempt, however discreetly made, to place a matter of personal benefit in the path of judicial duty,” the CJN said.
Kekere-Ekun said both she and Saulawa rejected the attempt, insisting that the integrity of judicial office could not be compromised and that even the appearance of impropriety had to be guarded against.
She said the experience reinforced her respect for Saulawa’s character and contributed to the mutual respect that had defined their relationship.
The valedictory session, however, recorded a low turnout of lawyers, with only six Senior Advocates of Nigeria and 13 other lawyers in attendance, unlike similar ceremonies in the past that attracted serving and former governors as well as other prominent personalities.
A representative of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Damien Dodo, SAN, expressed embarrassment over the poor attendance, attributing it to what he described as miscommunication.
Dodo stressed that the turnout was not a reflection of Saulawa’s personality or contribution to the country, describing the retiring Justice as a man who served with “granite integrity”.
Saulawa’s retirement marks the end of a 44-year journey in the legal profession, during which he served in various judicial capacities before attaining the apex court.
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