Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, the President of the Court of Appeal has directed all appeals from election petition cases nationwide to the Abuja and Lagos divisions of the Court of Appeal. Her order affects all the Governorship, National and States Assemblies Elections held between February and March 2023 and was as result of allegations and petitions against state tribunal judges.
Aggrieved political parties and their candidates expressed concerns that the judges handling the state tribunals had been allegedly compromised by state governors.
Justice Monica stated that having fewer Court of Appeal divisions handling all cases would ensure she effectively oversee the judges.
According to sources at the appellate court, the Abuja division would handle appeals from 19 northern states while Lagos would oversee cases from 17 southern states of the country.
Political parties and their lawyers are reportedly complying with the new directives and are transferring their files to both cities despite the huge costs involved.
