President Bola Tinubu has sent a bill requesting the Senate to amend the Court of Appeal Act to increase the number of judges from 70 to 110.
Tinubu’s request is contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and read at plenary on Tuesday.
He said that the proposed amendments were to strengthen institutional capacity, efficiency and effectiveness of the appellate court.
This, the president noted, was line with the constitutional provisions and contemporary realities in the justice sector.
He said that the major amendment proposed in the bill was to increase the number of justices of the Court of Appeal.
“The bill seeks to increase the number of justices of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110 and judges and clarification of judicial structure and seniority.
According to him, the bill also seeks to restructure provisions relating to ranking of justices of the Court of Appeal, including the ranking of the President of the court and the determination of seniority among justices.
He said that the bill proposed the modernisation of the court proceedings through the introduction of virtual court proceedings.
“The bill provides for the conduct of proceedings of the Court of Appeal through electronic and audio, establishment of Alternative Dispute Resolution Center (ADRC). The bill seeks to establish an Alternative District Resolution Centre within the Court of Appeal, where appellate matters may be referred for settlement.”
The president said that the bill equally sought to improve professional efficiency and legal certainty in appellate practices.
This, he said, was in alignment with contemporary legal and institutional standards.
“The bill also seeks to update terminology and definitions within the principal act, including the recognition of virtual hearings and modern correctional and nomenclatures. It seeks to consolidate interpretative provisions to ensure clarity, consistency and alignment with current legal and institutional framework,” he said.
According to him, the amendments sought are timely and necessary, adding that they respond to growing demands on the appellate justice system to reduce delays in administration of justice.
He said that the amendments would strengthen access to justice for litigants across the federation and reinforce public confidence in the judiciary.
After the reading of the letter, Akpabio committed to bill to the Rules and Business Committee for further legislative actions.
(NAN)
