President Bola Tinubu has written to the Senate seeking amendments to existing laws to increase the number of judges in the Federal High Court and justices of the Court of Appeal.
The President made the request in two separate letters addressed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, which were read on the Senate floor on Tuesday, January 27.
In the letter on the Federal High Court Act, Tinubu proposed an increase in the number of judges from the current 70 to 90.
He explained that the court’s responsibilities have significantly expanded over the years, particularly in handling terrorism-related cases, transnational organised crimes and other matters linked to national security.
According to him, increasing the number of judges would improve the judge-to-case ratio, speed up justice delivery and allow for better judicial specialization in areas such as terrorism, financial crimes, taxation, intellectual property and maritime law.
On the Court of Appeal Act, the President sought an increase in the number of justices from 70 to 110.
He said the proposed amendment would also clarify the court’s structure and seniority, including provisions relating to the President of the Court of Appeal.
Tinubu further disclosed that the bill would modernize court proceedings through the introduction of virtual hearings and the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre to help decongest the appellate system.
He noted that the proposed amendments were timely and would strengthen access to justice, reduce delays and enhance public confidence in the judiciary.
Following the reading of the letters, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bills to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.
