Appeal Court Delivered 7, 295 Judgments – Dongban Mensem

By Garry Ochigbo

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem on Monday disclosed that the court delivered a total of
7,295 judgments on 3,665 motions in the 2022/2023 legal year alone.

Justice Dongben-Mensen disclosed at the commencement of the 2023/2024 new legal year held at the Headquarters of the Court.

She recalled that a total of 98 panels were constituted to hear election petitions across the country to handle a total of 1,209 petitions that were filed against the 2023 general election.

Among the petitions, she said five were filed at the Presidential Election Petition Court and have been concluded while 147 filed at the Senatorial election tribunal have been delivered and 417 petitions from the House of Representatives election are being attended to.

The Appeal Court President who said that a total of 557 petitions associated with the State Houses of Assembly and 83 Gubernatorial Election petitions were being disposed of added that 28 States participated in the Governorship elections while petitions were filed in 24 states.

According to the President of the Court of Appeal, the Abuja division is currently overwhelmed by voluminous documents and lack of adequate storage facilities as well as office space.

The President therefore appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to provide a large piece of land for the expansion of the Abuja Division.

A former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi said Nigeria’s continued survival greatly depends on the transparency of judicial officers in the discharge of their functions.

The former AGF, who spoke on behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria on the occasion of the 2023/2024 legal year of the Court of Appeal noted with satisfaction the contributions of judicial officers in the past years which he said had kept the country intact from chaos and anarchy.

In his speech, the AGF and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, said President Bola Tinubu’s administration will address the issue of shortage of Justices at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Edited By Grace Namiji