By: Nwakaji Peace Martins
A process to expand the composition of the Supreme Court Justices from its current 21 to 33 members has been initiated in the Red Chambers.
The Bill, championed by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia-North), was introduced yesterday as the third agenda item during plenary by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and it successfully passed the first reading under the auspices of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In the proposed modification, section 230 2(b) of the 1999 Constitution will undergo an amendment to substitute the existing total of ’21’ Justices with ’33’.
Dr. Kalu’s rationale stems from the pressing need to efficiently address the overwhelming backlog of cases at the apex court.
His explanatory memorandum articulated: “This Bill aims to revise S. 230 2(b) of the 1999 Constitution to elevate the number of Justices in the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 21 to 33 in order to expedite the handling of pending cases.”
As per the Chair of the Senate Committee on Privatisation, the caseload of the Supreme Court Justices has surged due to the mounting number of pending and incoming cases, exacerbated by the absence of Supreme Courts in various states and regions.
Moreover, the House of Representatives has initiated a process to augment the number of Appeal Court Justices to 150, signifying a concomitant necessity to augment the number of Supreme Court Justices in anticipation of a surge in cases originating from the Appeal Court that will necessitate the Supreme Court’s attention.
