The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to appoint nine new justices to the Supreme Court to expedite the hearing and determination of matters for effective and efficient justice delivery in the country
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by Patrick Umoh (PDP, Akwa-Ibom) during a plenary in Abuja on Thursday.
In his motion, he stated that the current number of justices of the apex court had dropped to an all-time low of 11 justices, making it 10 short of its full complement of 21 justices as stipulated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said the Supreme Court’s docket is full for the year 2023, as parties could not have hearing dates for matters filed within the year, except in election petitions.
This, according to him, is due to the considerable volume of matters pending before the court.
He expressed concern that the non-appointment of new justices to the Supreme Court had stalled expeditious, effective, and efficient justice delivery and impeded transactions and economic development.
Umoh further said that it had also limited citizens’ access to justice and put the current justices of the court under immense mental and physical pressure. This situation, he pointed out, has affected the policy-making function of the court.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for his promise to promote the rule of law and support the judiciary.
He also lauded the president for signing into law the constitutional alteration unifying the retirement age and pension benefits of the judicial officers.
The House, while adopting the motion, mandated its Committee on Federal Judiciary to ensure compliance with the resolution.
