Electoral (Amendment) Act 2022: We were not consulted, says FHC CJ

The Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal High Court (FHC), Justice John Tsoho, on Monday, said that the court was not consulted in the enactment of the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022 by the National Assembly.

He made the disclosure while delivering his speech at a special court session to mark the commencement of the court’s 2022/2023 Legal Year in Abuja

Justice Tsoho said additional jurisdiction had been conferred on the FHC by the new Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022.

He said by virtue of sections 29 (5) and 84(14), of the Act, exclusive jurisdiction is foisted on the Federal High Court in the hearing and determination of pre-election complaints.

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“Linked to that jurisdiction is section 285 (10) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which provides that such pre-election cases must be concluded within 180 days from the date of filing of the suit.

“This is notwithstanding the judges’ existing ‘high-volume’ dockets that present enormous challenges.

“It is necessary to place on record that the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022 was enacted without any consultation with the court.

“Also, no support whatsoever was provided to address the increased responsibility,” he said.

The CJ said that this had weighed heavily on the operations of the court. (NAN)