The House of Representatives is considering a bill that aims to amend the 1999 Constitution, making the Court of Appeal the final court for disputes involving governorship, National, and State Houses of Assembly elections in Nigeria.
The bill, sponsored by Nnamdi Ezechi, the lawmaker representing Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwani Federal Constituency in Delta State, passed its second reading on the floor of the House during plenary on Tuesday.
Ezechi explained that the bill seeks to amend sub-section (3) of Section 246 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. The proposed amendment would remove the existing sub-section (3) and replace it with a new provision that reads: "The decisions of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals arising from the Governorship, National and State Houses of Assembly election Petitions shall be final."
The lawmaker further explained that the 2010 alteration to the Constitution already allowed for appeals to the Court of Appeal in National and State Houses of Assembly disputes, as well as governorship election petitions. However, the amendment did not address the finality of governorship election petitions, which still allow appeals to be taken to the Supreme Court. This new bill aims to rectify that by making the Court of Appeal the final arbiter in all election disputes.
Ezechi argued that this change would expedite the determination of election winners and allow them to begin their governance duties without unnecessary distractions. Additionally, he highlighted that resolving disputes at the Court of Appeal would reduce the financial burden on all parties involved, as the current practice of escalating cases to the Supreme Court is costly.
After the bill’s adoption, it was referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review, led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, for further consideration and legislative action.
