Nigerian House of Reps Moves to Make Court of Appeal Final Arbiter in Election Petitions

A member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Bayo Balogun, has disclosed that the lower chamber is advancing a constitutional amendment to make the Court of Appeal the final authority on presidential and governorship election petitions.

Balogun, who chairs the House Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday.

Under the current legal framework, disputes arising from presidential and governorship elections can progress from election tribunals to the Court of Appeal, and ultimately, to the Supreme Court. However, the proposed bill seeks to streamline this process by removing the Supreme Court from such cases.

Sponsored by Nnamdi Ezechi, representing Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwuani Federal Constituency, the bill is titled: A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Make the Court of Appeal the Final Appeal Court in Governorship, National and State Houses of Assembly Election.

Balogun explained that the reform aims to speed up the resolution of election disputes. “What we are trying to do now is reduce the tribunal period to 90 days and the appeal to 50 days,” he said. “We also propose 21 days for the filing of a petition and 14 days for filing an appeal. Altogether, the process will span 185 days.”

He added that the constitutional amendment will allow elections to be held earlier—no later than 185 days before the swearing-in date—to ensure all legal matters are resolved before the end of a governor’s or president’s term.

“Once we remove it from the constitution, we will then incorporate the provisions into the Electoral Act,” he noted.

The lawmaker emphasized that the proposed changes would enhance the efficiency of the electoral process and give INEC adequate time to conclude litigations ahead of transitions in power.