The Federal High Court of Nigeria has said it has constituted a special task force in order to swiftly hear and determine all pre-election cases before it.
In a statement signed and sent to Nairametrics by Dr. Catherine Oby Christopher, assistant director of information, Federal High Court of Nigeria, she noted that the order is contained in a circular issued by Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, the chief judge of the court.
According to Dr. Oby, Judges who are members of the task force will now suspend their cases in order to attend to the electoral cases.
Judges to suspend regular cases: The circular noted that Judges who are members of the task force will suspend all regular cases in their respective courts due to the urgency of the electoral cases, which are time-bound.
- Parts of the statement read: “A circular letter issued by the Honourable Chief Judge of the Court, the Hon. Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, says it became necessary to designate a team of Judges following the large volume of pre-election suits that have flooded the court.
- According to the circular, Judges who are members of the task force will suspend all regular cases in their respective courts, due to the urgency of the electoral cases, which are time-bound.
- “In view of the large volume of Pre-Election cases filed so far; with the imminent attendant risk of lapsing, it has become necessary to constitute a Task Force to speedily dispose of the matters, particularly in those Judicial Divisions with a glut of them.”
- “Justice Tsoho further stated that the Judges will have four weeks within which to dispose of the pre-election cases.”
