Nigeria’s Federal High Court has introduced new rules aimed at speeding up legal disputes ahead of the country’s upcoming elections, including opening court registries on weekends.
The Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, announced on Tuesday that court registries across the country will now open on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays specifically to allow political parties and candidates to file pre-election lawsuits.
The guidelines replace the previous 2022 rules and are designed to ensure fair, impartial, and rapid resolutions to internal party disputes, such as challenges to primary elections.
To cut down on political litigation delays, judges will now be limited to granting a maximum of two adjournments per case.
Virtual hearings and electronic notices
Under the new directives, the court will also adopt technology to prevent files from stalling. Judges have been given the green light to hold virtual hearings, while lawyers can be notified of urgent court events via email and other electronic means.
The rule changes come amid heightened political activity in Nigeria, where internal party disputes often clog the court system ahead of general elections.
A statement from the court’s spokesperson, Dr Catherine-Oby Christopher, said the directions aim to “minimise the time spent dealing with interlocutory matters” and ensure that political rivals focus only on genuine legal issues.
The court has also ruled that any party challenging the outcome of a political primary must include all relevant parties in the lawsuit to allow for an effective final judgement. Once all legal papers are exchanged, judges will have just seven days to set a date for the hearing.
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