A new bill in Nigeria’s House of Representatives aims to make the Court of Appeal the final decision-maker for governorship election petitions.
The bill, sponsored by Nnamdi Ezechi, a lawmaker from Delta State, has passed its second reading. If approved, it will change Section 246 of the 1999 Constitution.
Currently, the Court of Appeal is the final authority on election petitions for the national and state legislative houses, but not for governorship elections.
Right now, candidates who are unhappy with the Court of Appeal’s ruling on governorship cases can take their appeals to the Supreme Court. The proposed amendment would stop this, making the Appeal Court’s decision final for governorship elections too.
Ezechi argues that this amendment will save time and reduce the costs of post-election legal battles. Supreme Court cases often take a long time and can overturn decisions made by the lower courts, causing uncertainty in governance.
There have been cases where the Supreme Court overturned rulings by the Court of Appeal, creating political tension. For example:
- In 2023, the tribunal and Court of Appeal annulled the election of Caleb Mutfwang as governor of Plateau State, but the Supreme Court later restored his victory.
- Similarly, the Court of Appeal removed Abba Yusuf as governor of Kano State, but the Supreme Court reversed this decision.
The bill is now being reviewed further in the House of Representatives. If passed, it could bring more stability to Nigeria’s electoral system by preventing endless appeals and ensuring quicker resolutions to election disputes.
