600 pre-election appeals to appeal court, president says
The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, said on Friday that the court had so far received 600 pre-election cases from its 20 divisions.
Dongbam-Mensem made this known when European Union Delegation Ambassador Samuela Isopi visited him in his office.
"The court has received over 600 pre-election appeals across the court's 20 divisions from November to date and more appeals are still pending.
"More than 60 committees have been set up in the various divisions to hear and decide all the pre-election appeals filed.
"Aware of the pressures under which honorable judges work, some experienced clerks of the court have been brought in to summarize the decisions made so far and distribute them to the various divisions to avoid conflicting rulings “, she said. .
The President expressed her joy at her presence which, she said, was an opportunity to exchange views, share experiences and learn from their experiences respective countries.
According to her, the transparency of the electoral process is one of the fundamental values of democratic stability in a nation.
She said that the active involvement of election observation missions in Nigeria to ensure free, fair and credible elections is appreciated.
"It is relevant to say that the role of these observer organizations had a considerable impact on the resolution to revise the 2010 electoral law.
"The Electoral Law of 2022 introduced commendable innovations to strengthen our democracy and ensure credible elections.
"The Court of Appeals has reviewed, developed and expanded the scope of working materials for judges," she said.
According to her, there is now a Judicial Electoral Manual that incorporates the decisions of the Supreme Court and those of the Court of Appeal and the fundamental "critical" sections of the Elections Act of 2022.
This, she said, is intended to ensure that appeals on similar facts and issues are filed together to maintain the doctrine of stare decisis.
"In preparing for the execution of its constitutional mandate, the Court faces many challenges including, but not limited to, lack of funds," she said .
"Let me say that the court is faced with a dilemma, we only have 21 days before the general election and the special intervention fund to run the Electoral Petitions Tribunal does not hasn't been released yet," she said. .
She added that this would have a negative impact on the activities of the court and tribunals to effectively discharge their constitutional duties.
"It is expected that at present, arrangements have been made for the purchase of materials and equipment necessary for the proper functioning of the various courts.
“Also, we should have organized additional trainings for Hon. Judges, Members of the Tribunals and Secretariat Staff, but we cannot due to lack of funds.
"We hope that these challenges will soon be addressed before the general elections take place.
"I thank your Excellencies for the visit and look forward to a fruitful interactive session," she said.
Speaking, Amb. Isopi, welcomed the effort noted in the improvement in electoral matters.
"One of the points you raised was to support the judiciary in building the capacity of judges on election-related issues.
"I am happy to say that we were able to support the training of 300 judges.
"We have also trained secretaries and support staff because, for us, this is something that is considered crucial.
"It's because we know it can really help improve and promote electoral dispute resolution," she said.
NAN
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The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, said on Friday that the court had so far received 600 pre-election cases from its 20 divisions.
Dongbam-Mensem made this known when European Union Delegation Ambassador Samuela Isopi visited him in his office.
"The court has received over 600 pre-election appeals across the court's 20 divisions from November to date and more appeals are still pending.
"More than 60 committees have been set up in the various divisions to hear and decide all the pre-election appeals filed.
"Aware of the pressures under which honorable judges work, some experienced clerks of the court have been brought in to summarize the decisions made so far and distribute them to the various divisions to avoid conflicting rulings “, she said. .
The President expressed her joy at her presence which, she said, was an opportunity to exchange views, share experiences and learn from their experiences respective countries.
According to her, the transparency of the electoral process is one of the fundamental values of democratic stability in a nation.
She said that the active involvement of election observation missions in Nigeria to ensure free, fair and credible elections is appreciated.
"It is relevant to say that the role of these observer organizations had a considerable impact on the resolution to revise the 2010 electoral law.
"The Electoral Law of 2022 introduced commendable innovations to strengthen our democracy and ensure credible elections.
"The Court of Appeals has reviewed, developed and expanded the scope of working materials for judges," she said.
According to her, there is now a Judicial Electoral Manual that incorporates the decisions of the Supreme Court and those of the Court of Appeal and the fundamental "critical" sections of the Elections Act of 2022.
This, she said, is intended to ensure that appeals on similar facts and issues are filed together to maintain the doctrine of stare decisis.
"In preparing for the execution of its constitutional mandate, the Court faces many challenges including, but not limited to, lack of funds," she said .
"Let me say that the court is faced with a dilemma, we only have 21 days before the general election and the special intervention fund to run the Electoral Petitions Tribunal does not hasn't been released yet," she said. .
She added that this would have a negative impact on the activities of the court and tribunals to effectively discharge their constitutional duties.
"It is expected that at present, arrangements have been made for the purchase of materials and equipment necessary for the proper functioning of the various courts.
“Also, we should have organized additional trainings for Hon. Judges, Members of the Tribunals and Secretariat Staff, but we cannot due to lack of funds.
"We hope that these challenges will soon be addressed before the general elections take place.
"I thank your Excellencies for the visit and look forward to a fruitful interactive session," she said.
Speaking, Amb. Isopi, welcomed the effort noted in the improvement in electoral matters.
"One of the points you raised was to support the judiciary in building the capacity of judges on election-related issues.
"I am happy to say that we were able to support the training of 300 judges.
"We have also trained secretaries and support staff because, for us, this is something that is considered crucial.
"It's because we know it can really help improve and promote electoral dispute resolution," she said.
NAN
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