The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has issued a directive to transfer all appeals arising from election petition cases across Nigeria to the Abuja and Lagos divisions.
According to Channels, this directive encompasses appeals related to Governorship, National, and State Assemblies’ Elections that took place between February and March 2023.
Traditionally, appeals from various state tribunals are slated to be heard in the 20 appellate courts distributed across the country.
However, the new directive narrows the scope, with only two divisions of the Court of Appeal set to preside over these election appeals.
Sources within the Court of Appeal have disclosed that the Abuja division will be responsible for handling appeals originating from the 19 northern states, while the cases from the 17 southern states will be heard in Lagos.
This decision was prompted by allegations and petitions against state tribunal judges.
Several political parties and their candidates have raised concerns about the impartiality of these judges, claiming that they may have been compromised by sitting governors.
This has raised concerns among aggrieved parties that they might not receive a fair hearing if the appeals are determined within their respective states.
The overarching objective of this appeal transfer is to ensure the independence and integrity of the appellate court.
President Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem highlighted that centralizing these cases into fewer divisions will facilitate her effective oversight of the judges involved.
In response to the directive, parties and their legal representatives have reportedly begun complying by moving their case files to the designated cities, despite the associated costs.
