President Bola Tinubu has requested the House of Representatives to amend Nigeria’s key judicial laws to substantially increase the number of justices in the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
In separate letters read by Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker of the House during plenary on Wednesday, Tinubu sought the amendment of the Federal High Court Act to raise the statutory number of justices from 70 to 90, and the amendment of the Court of Appeal Act to increase the number of Appeal Court judges from 70 to 110.
The proposed amendments also seek to introduce virtual hearings and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms at the appellate level.
Tinubu argued that the increase was as a result of the growing volume and complexity of appeals nationwide, which had placed immense pressure on the intermediate appellate court and contributed to prolonged delays in the resolution of cases.
He explained that the amendment bill also aims to clarify the judicial structure of the Court of Appeal by restructuring provisions on composition, precedence and ranking. This includes clearer rules on the seniority of justices and the status of the president of the Court.
‘The bill seeks to restructure provisions relating to the composition, precedence, and ranking of justices of the Court of Appeal, including the ranking of the President of the Court and the determination of seniority among justices,’ the letter read.
President Tinubu stressed that the amendments further introduced provisions for virtual court proceedings, allowing the Court of Appeal to conduct hearings through electronic and audiovisual means.
The president also proposed the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centre within the Court of Appeal. This move, he noted is intended to encourage the settlement of suitable disputes outside full adversarial proceedings, thereby reducing the court’s workload and promoting faster resolution of cases.
According to Tinubu, the amendments would update outdated terminology in the existing law, including references to virtual hearings and modern correctional nomenclature, while consolidating interpretative provisions to ensure clarity and consistency with the current legal framework.
He stressed that the expansion has become unavoidable due to the increasing workload at the Court of Appeal and is expected to reduce delays in the administration of justice, strengthen access to justice, and enhance public confidence in the judiciary.
The president also highlighted that the Federal High Court’s responsibilities have expanded significantly.’The Court now bears a substantial and expanding responsibility for the prosecution of terrorism-related offences, transnational organised crimes, and other matters touching directly on national security,’ he explained.
According to Tinubu, increasing the number of judges would improve the judge-to-case ratio, accelerate adjudication, and enhance the quality of judicial decisions. He added that it would also allow for greater judicial specialisation in technically demanding areas such as terrorism, financial crimes, taxation, intellectual property, maritime law, and election-related litigation.