As part of ongoing electoral reform, the House of Representatives is expected to commence debate on the general principles of a bill seeking to make the Court of Appeal the final arbitrator for Governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly election disputes on resumption from the Sallah recess.

The private member bill was sponsored by Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi.

The proposed legislation seeks to alter the provisions of Section 246 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

As encapsulated in the bill exclusively seen by the Nigerian Tribune, Hon. Ezechi advocated for the alteration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to make the Court of Appeal the final Appeal Court in Governorship, National and State Houses of Assembly election petitions, and related matters.

The bill, which is expected to be slated for Second Reading by the House Committee on Rules and Business, would be referred to the Special Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for further legislative action.

It will be recalled that the bill passed through First Reading on May 9, 2024.

It specifically seems to alter Section 246 of the Principal Act by deleting the existing sub-section (3) and substituting the same in a new sub-section (3) as follows: “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.”

When passed into law, it is expected to reduce the cost of elections across the country. (Nigerian Tribune)