By Oloroogun Sola Ajisafe
I have read the responses from the DG Opomulero and from Temitope Olowofoyeku. Both say the same thing in different words; that criticisms of Governor Aiyedatiwa’s record on the rule of law “fly in the face of the matter” and are “propaganda.”. Realistically, I could perceive some high level of ignorance.
Let us test that claim with facts. Not press releases by proxy. Facts.
Fact 1: The Courtroom
Yesterday morning, Tuesday July 28, 2026 in Justice Fasanmi’s Court in Akure. Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria were present. Only one could sit in the inner bar because their seats were bad. The Registrar had to provide plastic chairs for the other two SANs. Majority of us lawyers stood because most of the seats are not fit to sit upon.
If this is what obtains in Akure, the seat of government, what happens in Oka, Idanre, Ilara, Ikare Owo, Ondo, Ile Oluji? What happens in Ose where there is no court at all? What happens in Okitipupa where the High Court destroyed during ENDSARS has not been rebuilt? This is 2026, the year of Our Lord. What is rule of law or access to justice?
That is not propaganda. That is what I saw . That is what many lawyers and the litigants who were in the court witnessed. Broken seats, lawyers standing in Court.
The Attorney General, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo SAN, himself a member of the inner bar, has described the Governor as “Nigeria’s Ambassador of the Rule of Law.” He spoke of investment, of autonomy, of recognition by NBA Akure.
But I ask the Attorney General this simple question; “how would you feel yesterday if you walked into that same court and were told the inner bar had no seat for you and that you should take a plastic chair? Justice Fasanmi’s Court yesterday is just an example of other courtrooms in Ondo State. Yet, we have an Ambassador of rule of law as our governor and a member of the inner bar as the Attorney General of our State.
Fact 2: The Money
The Attorney General says every naira invested in the judiciary is investment in democracy. I agree totally. But investment is measured by release, not rhetoric.
Only 67% of the capital component of the budget has been released. Where is the remaining 33%?
Only 17% of infrastructure funds have been released. Where is the remaining 83%?
You cannot claim to be strengthening justice while starving the projects that deliver it. That is not reform. That is rationing. That is not propaganda. That is the appropriation record.
Fact 3: The People
Magistrates in Ondo State including Akure have no enough courtrooms. Many have no official vehicles. They ride public buses with accused persons who appear before them. Some ride Okada on the streets of Ondo State to get to work. Their courts lack basic amenities. Promises made after their strike remain unfulfilled. What further things do you expect them to do. Do we continue to ask for their blood or their self esteem? Yet, we have an Attorney General whose permanent abode is one of the best hotel in Akure.
The entire Southern Senatorial District has no viable High Court.
That is not propaganda. That is the condition of service and the state of access. I ask, where is the rule of law?
Fact 4: The Honour
Let me be clear. I am a member of NBA Akure Branch. I was present and took very active part in the 2025 Law Week under the Umar led Exco when the Governor was honoured as Ambassador of the Rule of Law. It would be immoral to deny that.
But an award is a covenant, not immunity. It is an expectation of higher performance. It is a sacred call to duty. Since November, that expectation has not been met. This position is delibrately restated for a reason here.
What do we get. Instead of prosecution for those who beat party leaders and shed blood in February, we got silence. Instead of obedience to the Electoral Act, we got impunity. Instead of allowing the people of Akoko South West to enjoy their victory in court on the LCDA, we have appeal lodged to frustrate the efforts of the people endlessly. Instead of a convenient Court we got plastic chairs for SANs and many of the lawyers were on their feet. Justice Fasanmi like other judges in Ondo State still write in long-hand. Mr Attorney General sir, where is the reform to make our judges more comfortable so they would continue to perform their jobs and live longer after retirement?
Our Attorney General, who should be the conscience of government, has chosen mute silence and gaslighting over counsel. That is not leadership. That is sycophancy. He prefers press releases for birthdays and other celebrations or fighting proxy wars with critics through “Technical Advisers” and appointment seekers while “Rome burns” and our Judiciary continue to decay. The Ondo State government expect everyone to fall into criminal silence. That won’t happen no matter the intimidation and blackmail.
To call these observations “an attack” or “propaganda” is to mistake request for accountability as animosity. To ask us to celebrate autonomy and recruitment while ignoring broken seats, empty courts, and unpaid promises is to ask us to clap for a showroom while the factory is on fire. To ask judges to write judgements without the latest law reports in their library is unacceptable. To encourage Magistrates to continue to break limbs and work without respect is a sad commentary on our judicial system in Ondo State.
Ondo people are not against reform. We are for it. But reform without delivery is public relations. Another critical question is where is the reform? A reform that is in the back pocket of the AG and been mouthed in press releases is no reform but public relation stunts. And public relations, no matter how SAN-driven, cannot substitute for the rule of law.
When Okitipupa is rebuilt, when Ose has a court, when magistrates have cars and courtrooms, when funds are fully released, when February has consequences, when judges in Ondo have people who record proceedings for them electronically, when OndoCOMIS (electronic filing) works for the court, the lawyers and clients, when Mr. Governor is properly advised to sign C of Os, then there will be no need for press releases to defend the rule of law. The courtrooms will defend it, the people will feel it and Ondo people would applaud it.
What is more, Egalitarianism and Reforms must not be reduced to slogans on press releases. They are the necessary impetus for any society that claims to believe in justice. But for them to matter, they must be functional and achievable, not theoretical. Functional reform means a court in Ose is as important as a court in Akure. Achievable reform means when we budget 100% for infrastructure, we release 100%, not 17%. It means a SAN deserves a comfortable seat in any Court in Ondo and no lawyer should be without a seat. And so does a magistrate deserve a car. It means the law must reach the farmer in Oka-Akoko and the litigant in Okitipupa with the same speed and dignity that it reaches the government house. When reform is selective, it becomes elitism. When egalitarianism is only mouthed, it becomes public relations. The people of Ondo are not asking for grammar. We are asking for access. We are asking for delivery. That is the true test of rule of law.
Until then, let us call things by their proper names. This is not ambassadorship. This is advertisement. Oloroogun Sola Ajisafe, Esq from Oka Akoko writes from Akure
