By Haruna Salami
The Senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the Court of Appeal Act to increase the number of Justices of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110, among other reforms.
The bill scaled second reading after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), presented its general principles during Tuesday’s plenary.
Leading the debate, Bamidele explained that the proposed legislation seeks to amend the Court of Appeal Act, Cap. C36, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, with the aim of strengthening the administration of justice through the expansion of the court’s capacity.
According to him, the bill is designed to modernise court operations, enhance access to justice, and provide a legal framework for the integration of virtual court proceedings.
He noted that the Court of Appeal occupies a strategic position within Nigeria’s judicial system as the country’s foremost appellate court.
Bamidele observed that the court has, over the years, witnessed a significant increase in its workload due to population growth, expanding economic activities, rising electoral disputes, constitutional litigation, commercial transactions, and an increasing demand for judicial remedies.
He, however, lamented that the institutional capacity of the court had not grown at the same pace as the volume and complexity of cases before it.
The Senate Leader stressed the urgent need for legislative intervention to reposition the court for greater efficiency, accessibility, and responsiveness to contemporary realities.
He said the passage of the bill would deliver far-reaching benefits to the administration of justice in Nigeria by creating a more efficient appellate court system, which is essential for national development, democratic governance, and the rule of law.
Describing the proposal as a timely and necessary reform, Bamidele said it addresses long-standing structural and operational challenges while preparing the Court of Appeal to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving society.
“The proposed amendments have been carefully designed to strengthen judicial capacity, modernise court operations, expand access to justice, and improve the overall efficiency of appellate adjudication in Nigeria,” he said.
He urged his colleagues to give the Court of Appeal (Amendment) Bill, 2026, favourable consideration and support its passage.
Following its second reading, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further legislative scrutiny.
The committee was directed to Senate Passes Bill to Increase Court of Appeal Justices from 70 to 110
