Judges ordered to prioritise pre-election cases

• Fed High Court sets up task force to dispose suits

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Federal High Court of Nigeria has constituted a special task force of Judges to swiftly hear and determine all Pre-election cases before it.

A circular letter issued by the Chief Judge of the Court, the Hon. Justice John Terhemba Tsoho and released on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the task force became necessary to designate a team of Judges following the large volume of pre-election suits that have flooded the court.

According to the circular, Judges who are members of the Task Force will suspend all regular cases in their respective courts, due to the urgency of the electoral cases, which are time-bound. 

“In view of the large volume of pre-election cases filed so far; with the imminent attendant risk of lapsing, it has become necessary to constitute a Task Force to speedily dispose of the matters, particularly in those Judicial Divisions with a glut of them.”

A statement by the Assistant Director of Information of the Court,  Dr Catherine Oby Christopher indicated that Justice Tsoho further stated that the Judges will have four weeks within which to dispose of the pre-election cases.